PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Goa unit plunged into turmoil on Monday after former state president Amit Palekar and four other senior leaders resigned, dealing a major blow to the party following its poor performance in the recent Zilla Panchayat elections.
Palekar was the first to submit his resignation to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, stating that his decision to step away was taken “in self-respect and clarity,” and not in anger or haste. His resignation came just days after he was removed from the post of Goa unit president in the aftermath of the party’s disappointing showing in the Zilla Panchayat polls.
In his resignation letter, Palekar said he had joined AAP believing in its promise of transparency, internal democracy and respect for grassroots voices. However, he noted that it had become increasingly difficult to reconcile those ideals with the party’s current decision-making processes. “When dialogue and consultation are limited and decisions flow only from the top, it does not weaken individuals but strains institutions,” Palekar wrote, adding that such a divergence was deeply disheartening for a movement that set out to redefine democratic functioning.
Minutes after Palekar’s exit, Shrikrishna Parab, the state general secretary (organisation), who had been given additional charge as Goa president, also resigned by quitting the party’s primary membership. Parab raised serious concerns over the manner in which Palekar’s removal was carried out, stating that such a crucial organisational decision should have been taken in a more transparent, dignified and consultative manner.
In his letter, Parab pointed to the absence of a Zilla Panchayat-level performance assessment prior to the leadership change and flagged growing confusion among party workers over alliances in Goa. He said the lack of clarity and communication from the top leadership had led to demoralisation at the grassroots level.
Following the exits of Palekar and Parab, the crisis within the Goa unit deepened, with state vice-president Sarfaraz, Goa Youth Wing president Rohan Naik, and party office-bearer Chetan Kamat also resigning from the primary membership of AAP.
