AAP founder member Ilyas Azmi quits party, says 'autrocratic' Arvind Kejriwal doing 'communal politics'

New Delhi: It seems Arvind Kejriwal and controversies go hand-in-hand!

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) founder member and former MP Ilyas Azmi has quit the party levelling some serious allegations against Arvind Kejriwal.

Ilyas Azmi has cited "lack of inner democracy" in the party and Arvind Kejriwal's "autocratic style of functioning".

'Communal politics'

Also, Azmi accused Kejriwal of indulging in caste and community-based politics and of ignoring Muslims and people from backward classes.

Asserting that AAP was founded on principles which were against caste and community politics, Azmi said, "But now AAP itself is indulging in community politics even more than Mulayam Singh Yadav so I stopped participating in partys activities."

'One man's party'

"There is no inner democracy in the party. It has been reduced to one man's property," Azmi said.

"I had left Mayawati's BSP because she was running it like a one-person party but then here even Kejriwal is doing the same. So I have no other option but to leave it," he said.

'Kejriwal appointing people of his own community'

"Also, Muslims and people from backward classes are completely being ignored. There is hardly any Muslim representation in AAP. Kejriwal is appointing people of his own community to key posts in the government. He is openly giving preference to people of his own community in the party too," he claimed.

A former BSP MP, Azmi was one of the founder members of the party. In a rejig, Azmi was dropped from both the National Executive and Political Affairs Committee of the party.

Azmi said he was also against the removal of lawyer Prashant Bhushan and psephologist-turned-politician Yogendra Yadav from the party.