AAP fumes as Congress leader says will fight all seats

Shubhadeep choudhury

New Delhi, August 16

Delhi Congress leader Alka Lamba’s statement that Congress would contest in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi on its own triggered a controversy, casting a shadow on the next meet of the opposition parties’ INDIA alliance, which includes Congress and AAP.

Both sides, however, have kept the doors open for reconciliation as top leaders of the parties refrained from discussing the issue.

Following a meeting of the Congress today, Alka said it was decided that the party would contest in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi on its own and would not strike an electoral alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the polls.

Representatives of the Delhi unit attending the meeting were asked to prepare for the seven seats as only around seven months are left for the elections, Lamba said. Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary and former Union Minister Ajay Maken and Lamba were among those present in the meeting.

This attracted angry reaction from the AAP and the party’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakar said if the Congress wants to fight alone in Delhi, there is no point in attending the INDIA alliance meeting (to be held in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1). She, however, added that the AAP’s top leadership will take the final call regarding attending the Mumbai meeting of the opposition bloc.

Striking a conciliatory tone, AICC in-charge of the party’s Delhi unit Deepak Babaria said Alka Lamba is not authorised to talk about “such an important issue”. “I am saying as the in-charge (of the Delhi unit) that there were no such discussions in the meeting today. I refute Alka Lamba’s statement,” Babaria said.

Delhi Congress leader and former Lok Sabha member Sandeep Dikshit, who took part in today’s meeting held at the AICC headquarters here, later posted on social media multiple pictures of AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and accused him of lying in his I-Day speech.

“In view of the Lok Sabha elections, a consultation was held with the leaders of Delhi Congress today. Revitalisation of Delhi Congress is our priority, in which participation of all leaders and workers is necessary. We had made Delhi prosperous and happy, our struggle for the people of Delhi continues even further,” Kharge said in a tweet after the meeting.

All seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi are currently held by the Bharatiya Janata Party.