The AAP is frustrated with Congress following its complaint against Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of ‘misleading and deceiving’ the public with promises of ‘non-existent’ welfare schemes.
In Brief:
- AAP frustrated with Congress over complaint against Arvind Kejriwal
- Complaint alleges AAP promised ‘non-existent’ welfare schemes
- AAP refuses to contest Delhi polls in alliance with Congress
In a major setback to opposition unity ahead of the Delhi elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced it would consult other INDIA bloc parties to push for Congress’s removal from the alliance. AAP’s frustration stems from Congress filing a complaint against Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of “misleading and deceiving” the public with promises of “non-existent” welfare schemes.
Recent comments by Ajay Maken, suggesting that Congress’s support for AAP in 2013 led to its decline in Delhi, have only added to the tensions.
At a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh criticized Maken for allegedly labeling Kejriwal as “anti-national” and called on Congress to take action against him within 24 hours. Standing alongside Chief Minister Atishi, Singh accused Congress of “doing everything” to aid the BJP in winning the upcoming Delhi elections.
“Ajay Maken of Congress is following the BJP’s script… AAP will urge INDIA bloc parties to remove Congress from the alliance if no action is taken against him,” Singh said.
Atishi alleged that the BJP was funding the election campaigns of Congress candidates, including Sandeep Dixit.
“Congress’s actions clearly show that the party has made some arrangement with the BJP for the Delhi elections. The BJP is financing Congress candidates. We’ve heard that Sandeep Dikshit is being funded by the BJP,” she said.
“If Congress believes we (AAP) are anti-national, then why did they ally with us for the Lok Sabha elections? It’s clear that Congress leaders have reached a mutual understanding with the BJP to defeat AAP and help BJP win in Delhi,” the Chief Minister said.
The complaint against Kejriwal was filed by the Youth Congress after two Delhi government departments issued public notices stating that the proposed Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana had not been officially announced and were “non-existent.”
This comes as Delhi Congress leaders have intensified their criticism of the ruling party in Delhi. Kejriwal had earlier declared that AAP would contest the Delhi elections alone, aiming for a fourth term.
On Wednesday, Maken escalated the matter by stating that Congress needed to correct its “mistake” of aligning with AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
