The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a divided house in Manipur

The Aam Aadmi Party whose Manipur unit was opened very recently is today a divided house. The issue came to the fore when one faction said that its poll manifesto would be released on Saturday while the other released it in haste on Friday night.

Editors and reporters received invitations from Roshni Kumar Yambem, the AAP media coordinator for the release of the poll manifesto at 11:30 am on Saturday. However the newspaper offices received copies of the manifesto with a letter from Manihar Thoudam, state coordinator on Friday night saying that the same was released. There are photographs

of the national and state leaders of the AAP in the manifesto. Besides there is a photograph of K. Zou who is the AAP candidate for the reserved Outer Manipur seat. However, the photograph of Ibomcha Khwairakapam who is the AAP candidate in the Inner Manipur constituency is conspicuous by its absence from the manifesto.

The manifesto says that the AAP was established in Manipur on March 24, 2013 by the state and national leaders of the party. Hareswor Goswami, a leader of the other faction told reporters that with the involvement of the national leaders the Manipur campaign committee of the state for the forthcoming elections was constituted. The party is contesting both the seats. According to him an eight-member campaign committee was formed. The members of the committees of the two

factions are different. He further said that all committees in Manipur will have to work under the campaign committee till elections are over. But it is clear that the other faction is not listening.

As per instructions of the national leaders the “genuine” AAP manifesto will be released soon and appealed to the party members to desist from issuing “fake” manifesto.