Scotching speculation about the possible alliance between the AAP and the Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi refused to forge an alliance with his party for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event out of the national Capital, Kejriwal said the Congress chief had refused his request to “join hands with the AAP” during a one-to-one meeting recently.
However, the official communication from the Congress High Command in this regard is yet to be made public.
Rahul had earlier said at a public meeting that there would be no truck with the AAP in Delhi. Moreover, the issue of alliance with the AAP had virtually wedged differences in the Delhi Congress with one group led by former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit vehemently opposing any tie-up and another front led by former Union Minister Ajay Maken advocating for the Cong-AAP embrace.
Asked about Sheila’s remarks that Arvind never approached her for an alliance, the AAP chief said, “We have met Rahul. Sheila is not that important leader.”
Kejriwal’s comments on Sheila “not an important leader” sparked a row with the Congress leaders hitting out at the AAP chief saying the Delhi Chief Minister may not have the respect and honour Sheila has earned in the public life.
Dikshit’s former cabinet colleague and party spokesperson Ramakant Goswami hit out at the AAP for opposing policies and principles of the Congress despite “pleading” with it for an alliance.
The three-time former Delhi Chief Minister who was appointed president of Delhi unit of Congress has so far effectively repulsed attempts for an alliance of her party with the AAP, although she said Rahul would take a final call.
Kejriwal has been urging the Congress to forge an alliance in Delhi to prevent the BJP repeating its stellar performance in the Capital.
Recently, in a meeting with Rahul, senior Congress leaders including Sheila, three working presidents Devender Yadav, Rajesh Lilothia, Haroon Yusuf, former Delhi Congress presidents JP Agarwal and Tajdar Babar opposed an alliance with the AAP.
A senior party insider of the Congress said the decision was taken considering its long term repercussions in Delhi and adjoining States. “The main question is how the party will face the AAP in Assembly elections after coming together in parliamentary election. Even if alliance happened, the Congress was not getting much politically, rather it could lose its base drastically,” he said.
The Congress could win any Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 elections in Delhi. The talk of alliance was fuelled by the fact that the sum of votes polled for the Congress and the AAP was more than that of the BJP.
Kejriwal had even roped in NCP supremo Sharad Pawar TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to persuade the Congress chief to stitch an alliance with the AAP.