Swaraj Abhiyan To Launch Political Party By Oct 2

Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan announce the launch of a political party by October 2 to provide an "alternative political vehicle" as they hit out at AAP. The new outfit will be not have a "supremo" culture and ensure transparency, the leaders said.

The political party will be launched by October 2 and a committee has been formed for this purpose, Yadav said. "We were never secretive about going political. A decision to launch a political party was taken with nearly 93 per cent of the delegates, at a national convention of Swaraj Abhiyan, overwhelming supporting it. Of the 433 delegates, 405

voted in favour of launching the party," he said. Yadav, however, clarified that Swaraj Abhiyan will continue to exist even after the new political party is launched. Although the decision to launch a party was taken by Swaraj Abhiyan delegates, the two will function independently.

The duo, however, parried questions on whether the new political party will contest in the five states going to polls next year. Yadav and Bhushan were sacked from AAP in April last year for "anti-party" activities. They had hit out at AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal questioning his "supremo style of working" and "lack of transparency" in the party. "Even if we are championing clean politics, people will not vote for us unless they feel we can win elections. This was precisely the case with AAP. It took birth out of movements like India Against Corruption, Janlokpal and these helped get public support.

They believe they should fight elections after having done enough visible groundwork, for the people to identify with them. We should contest polls only when we think we can win," Bhushan

said. Yadav, however, said this does not mean that it will not contest polls at all. "We will look for alliances, but that will be only with people's movements or party that have taken birth from such movements," he said.

Suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi was present at the event, but left just before the announcement. "I am not a part of the political party. I have extended my support to alternative politics, which is not a forte of any single political party. Anyway, I have been suspended by the party," Gandhi said. He, along with another party MP Harinder Singh Khalsa, were suspended by AAP for aligning with Swaraj Abhiyan.