Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh, Aslam Sher Khan on Tuesday blamed senior party leaders for the debacle in the recent State Assembly elections.
While talking to mediapersons here, Aslam stated that the Congress lost the Assembly segments in the parliamentary constituencies of Union ministers Kamalnath and Jyotiraditya Scindia and party general secretary Digvijay Singh. “It was strange that the Congress lost the Assembly elections in their parliamentary constituencies but during lok Sabha elections, the Congress wins there,” the hockey Olympian-turned-politician said.
He further said "if State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was a true leader of masses, he should ensure the defeat of these three leaders in the lok Sabha elections,” he added. He alleged, “I do not believe that the defeat of these three leaders was possible as the BJP was hand-in-glove with them. The time has come for the Congress to realise that politics was not confined only to big houses in New Delhi but has become something with which the common man is associated.”
Because of this Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party has become a force to reckon with and did well in the Delhi Assembly elections, he said. When asked if he would join AAP, the 61-year-old leader said at his age it was not possible. To a query on whether he would seek a ticket for the forthcoming lok Sabha elections, Aslam said he would not do so till the time there was shadow boxing between the Congress and the BJP in the State.
Speaking about poll prospects of the Congress in the State in coming general elections, he said that the party would be successful in winning 14-15 lok Sabha seats out of 29 seats in the State if tickets distribution is free from influence of these leaders. Khan said that he had held public meetings for dedicated party workers earlier. He would organise a similar meeting at Iqbal Maidan here in February.