Disappointed AAP didn't inform me of removal as Lokpal, says Admiral L Ramdas
Admiral L Ramdas, who was on Sunday removed as AAP's
internal Lokpal, expressed disappointment that the party leadership took the
step without informing him about the decision. He said, in an informal meeting last month, the party had
actually requested him to continue for additional five years. "It is with
great surprise and sadness that I heard today from a reporter that the Aam
Aadmi Party no longer requires my services as its internal Lokpal. Various
media reports have subsequently confirmed this news.
"I am disappointed that the leadership of the party did
not... inform me first before making this decision public. I still await their
phone call," Ramdas said in a statement. AAP today removed Ramdas and
Prashant Bhushan as the chief of National Disciplinary Committee, a day after
the latter and senior leader Yogendra Yadav were expelled from the National
Executive (NE).
The former navy chief has been the party's Lokpal since its
inception. His removal came a day after he was sent an SMS by party's national
secretary Pankaj Gupta, asking him not to attend the National Council meeting
to avoid "confrontation". "I am surprised because less than two weeks ago the
party publicly reaffirmed its confidence in me. At no point in my tenure did
the party express to me any dissatisfaction with my service," the statement
said.
The party leadership is also upset with him for writing a
letter to the members of the Political Affairs Committee and National Executive
last month in which he was critical of it. He also noted about two camps
emerging within top leadership and had asked the party to consider 'one-man,
one-post' arrangement.
"Neither did its leaders question my neutrality or my
objectivity in this position. As recently as January 2015, I was asked to
investigate complaints against potential electoral candidates. "I took it as a sign of the party's confidence in me
when on February 15, at an informal meeting at the home of Mr Kejriwal, in the
presence of many other senior leaders of the party, including members of the
executive committee, I was actually requested to consider serving an additional
five years as Lokpal," he said.
Ramdas said his two letters-- one written last month which
snowballed into a controversy and second, which was written yesterday-- were
only intended to remind the members the founding principles of the party. "I have tried to discharge my duties and
responsibilities to the best of my abilities. My two previous letters, one
which became public, the other which was intended to be public, reflected my
effort to encourage various leaders of the party to work together to remember
the principles on which it was founded and to make sure that the promises made
to the electorate- to the people- were fulfilled. "Unfortunately I did not succeed in that effort,"
Ramdas said.
Reacting to the removal of Ramdas, Yogendra Yadav said that
the National Executive did not have the power to appoint the new Lokpal. "As per party's constitution, the NE has no authority
to appoint new Lokpal. Only the Lokpal can appoint a successor. "Shocked
to hear that a party built on Lokpal movement has thrown out its own Lokpal.
Read admiral Ramdas letter of yesterday," Yadav tweeted. Ramdas added that despite his removal he still thinks that
the party will fulfill its promise of good governance in Delhi.
"I still hope that the party which has fired the
imagination and hopes of so many Indians will be able to fulfill its promises
of good governance, both internally and externally, in the exercise of
political power in its new capacity as the government of Delhi. I wish them
well in this endeavour. "I am, however, more sad than surprised. It was with a
sense of excitement and hope that I became part of this movement to bring a new
kind of politics to India. I believed in the ideals of transparency,
accountability and fairness that was encapsulated in the institution of the
Lokpal. And, I was honoured to be the first person to serve in this
capacity," he added.
