NO RIFT IN PARTY: AAP KEJRIWAL

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday played down reports of a rift in the party over the issue of cabinet berths and said party MLA Vinod Kumar Binny was not upset over his non-inclusion.

A day after Laxmi Nagar MLA Binny, a ministerial hopeful walked out of a meeting at Kejriwal’s house after coming to know that he was not among the probable ministers, Kejriwal said the legislator was not interested in a ministerial berth.“Binny came to me last evening. He told me he does not want a ministerial berth and that he was here for a mission. Binny said he has conveyed to the media that he was not upset,” said Kejriwal.

Binny on his part stated that he was not angry and that there was no rift in the party.

“There is no rift between me and the party. There is nothing that I was angry about after being denied a post in the ministry,” he said.

As Binny walked out of the party meeting on Tuesday, senior party leaders Sanjay Singh and Kumar Vishwas went to his residence late last night and held parlays to pacify him till wee hours of the day.

After a long meeting, Singh and Vishwas came out and said, “There was no dissent and it was all created by the media.”

“It was our regular meeting and we have been meeting on various occasions,” they said.

Kejriwal had on Tuesday finalised his team of ministers that includes his trusted associate Manish Sisodia and five others.

Kejriwal, who is likely to be sworn-in as Chief Minister on Thursday, had sent to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung a list of six ministers, including the names of Sisodia, a former journalist who won from Patparganj constituency, Rakhi Birla, who defeated PWD Minister Rajkumar Chouhan, Somnath Bharti (defeated Women and Child Development Minister Kiran Walia) Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain.

Playing down reports of a rift in the party, Binny said his meeting with Singh and Vishwas was a “routine” one.

“I am not angry with the party. Sanjay and Kumar came to meet me and they spent some time discussing routine issues,” he said.

Denying that he was miffed over not getting a ministerial berth, Binny said, “There is no demand and I do not want any post. I will work wherever and whatever responsibility is given to me.”

He said, “Kejriwal is the Chief Minister and it is his prerogative to choose his council of ministers.”

Asked if he was offered the post of Parliamentary Secretary as a deal, Binny said, “There is no deal.”

Questioned whether his Congress background worked against him, Binny said it is “unfortunate” if this works against somebody becomes almost everybody has come from either the Congress or BJP as AAP is a new party.