Arvind Kejriwal began his detoxification regime on Wednesday itself with the removal of senior AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC). Kejriwal left for a 10-day naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru on Thursday, which starts with detoxification of body.

However, the detoxification of AAP has come at a price. The PAC was split virtually into two groups, an appeal of supporters to stay united was ignored and finally, Kejriwal bared his streak of authoritarian grip over the party that was born out of a movement.

The AAP national executive took the decision of removing Bhushan and Yadav on Wednesday after a six-hour long meeting. According to reports, 8 members of the PAC voted in favour of Bhushan and Yadav, while 11 members voted against them. And three members abstained.

While the party’s executive body was split on the decision, the leadership also ignored its supporters’ plea.  Outside the executive’s meeting venue at Kapashera in Delhi, supporters were holding posters with messages such as, “United we stand, divided we fall”.

 “In a large organisation, difference of opinion are expected but we believe that everyone involved in this issue has the best interest of party and our country at heart, and hence should remain united to tackle the larger problems of corruption, growth and human rights,” NRI supporters said, in an appeal emailed to the party’s executive members. The appeal was signed by 32 NRI chapters of AAP including those from the US, the UK, Japan, Australia, France, Canada and many European countries.

Even if one overlooks these developments as sideshows, the episode threw light on Kejriwal the politician. He sent a fresh resignation as AAP convenor on Wednesday, and insisted on the removal of Bhushan and Yadav as pre-condition for withdrawing his resignation.

Yadav and Bhushan are unlikely to leave AAP. They are likely to raise the issues they have been talking, at the meeting of the AAP National Council later this month.

Bhushan said, “I hope that the party which was created and inspired millions of people as a party wedded to the principles of transparency, accountability, inner party democracy and Swaraj will not disappoint the people on whose efforts the party was founded.'' Yadav said he would continue to work as a disciplined worker of the party. The party was created with "blood and sweat" of thousands of supporters whose trust should not be betrayed, Yadav said.

Meanwhile, Bhushan has been made the head of party’s legal cell and Yadav has been offered Maharashtra national convener post.