Amid a widening political rift in the Aam Aadmi Party, founding member Kumar Vishwas on Tuesday accused some party leaders of hatching a “conspiracy” against him. “I know I will be targeted. The efforts to tarnish my image will be made. But, let me tell those conspirators that I will not allow you to do so,” an emotional Vishwas said, while defying a ban on speaking to the media.

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan had alleged that Vishwas was trying to overthrow party chief Arvind Kejriwal after their loss in the Delhi civic polls. Khan had also accused Vishwas of joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He had resigned from the party’s political affairs committee on Monday.

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Vishwas said he will not compromise on his principles and that he will make his decision by Tuesday night. He also expressed disappointment over the way the party leadership had dealt with Khan for his comments. “If someone had spoken against Arvind Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia, they would have been thrown out of the party,” Vishwas said.

Vishwas also denied rumours that he was trying to take over as the chief minsiter of Delhi. “I have no intention whatsoever of becoming the CM, deputy CM or the party chief,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia criticised Vishwas for speaking out in the open instead of in the party forums. “Who is benefiting from such public statements? Definitely not the Aam Aadmi Party,” Sisodia said. Vishwas also said that the AAP had started as a movement five years ago with just three people – Kejriwal, Sisodia and Vishwas himself. However, Sisodia rejected these remarks and said, “The party was not founded by the three of us but by thousands of workers.”

On Monday morning, Kejriwal had tweeted saying he considered Kumar as his “younger brother”. “Some people are trying to create misunderstanding between us, such people are enemies of the party,” he had said.