Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party is not new to allegations and counter-allegations from within. Former Congress member and Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba could be the latest to join the bandwagon of Yogendra Yadav, Kapil Mishra, Prashant Bhushan and Shazia Ilmi who exited from the party over disagreements with the AAP leadership.
On Saturday, Lamba came out against party leader Kejriwal, saying she was asked to step down from the AAP for opposing a resolution by her party MLAs to revoke former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna in protest at the anti-Sikh riots. "The party has asked for my resignation. I'm ready to resign but Rajiv Gandhi has sacrificed a lot for country and I didn’t support the proposal in the assembly for taking back his Bharat Ratna. I've been asked to resign because I stood against the decision of the party," Lamba was quoted by news agency ANI on Saturday.
On the other hand, media reports said she was asked to quit the party after she moved the resolution against Gandhi. While the political controversy is set to blow up, here's a look at Lamba the politician.
Lamba's political career started over two decades ago when she joined the Congress's students wing, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI). Lamba rose to prominence through campus politics during her days at the Delhi University and in 1997, she was appointed NSUI president. Within five years, she rose to become the general secretary of All India Mahila Congress. Lamba went on to become a member of the AICC and the general secretary of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC).
In 2013, Lamba left the Congress to join Kejriwal's AAP. Her maiden election win to the Delhi assembly happened when she won from Chandni Chowk constituency on an AAP ticket in 2015.
Lamba was never shy of controversies. In 2017, she had alleged that the BJP had offered her a Lok Sabha ticket in exchange for defecting to the saffron party. Lamba was one among the 20 MLAs recommended to be disqualified by the Election Commission. In 2016, in an unexpected move, she was removed as party spokesperson after she told reporters that former transport minister Gopal Rai was asked to step down as CM Kejriwal wanted to ensure a fair probe into allegations of corruption.
In 2012, Lamba invited trouble as she almost revealed the identity of a rape victim in Guwahati during a press conference. In 2015, a criminal case was charged against Lamba as she, along with a few supporters, vandalised a liquor shop in Delhi.
Despite leaving the Congress, it seems like Lamba has good relations with the party. She had recently tweeted an old picture of her with Sonia Gandhi on the latter's birthday.
