The INDIA bloc came under a big threat of split after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said it would ask the other parties in the coalition to remove the Congress. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged at a press conference that the actions of the Congress are damaging the unity of the INDIA bloc.
“We had not said a single word against the Congress during the Haryana election. Yet the Congress seems to be reading out from the BJP’s script. Its candidates’ list looks as if it was finalised at the BJP office,” Singh said.
AAP sources said the party is upset with the Congress leaders’ statements on their party and the demand for an FIR against party convener Arvind Kejriwal. The Youth Congress had a day ago filed a complaint against Kejriwal, accusing him of misleading voters and engaging in fraudulent activities.
The complaint, which was lodged at the Parliament Street police station, called for an FIR against Kejriwal following his poll promises which were nullified by two Delhi government departments.
The AAP launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of colluding with the BJP for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls to harm the prospects of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
A controversy had erupted on Wednesday when two departments of the Delhi government issued notices in newspapers, cautioning the public and disowning the registration process started by CM Atishi and Kejriwal for two recently announced welfare schemes.
The ruling AAP termed the notices “fake and baseless” and asserted that administrative as well as legal action would be taken against the officials who issued these advertisements.
Sanjay Singh accused Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dixit of targeting the AAP, instead of focusing on the BJP. “Ajay Maken has crossed all limits by calling Arvind Kejriwal anti-national. Despite campaigning for the Congress in past elections, Kejriwal now faces an FIR, while the Congress had never filed a single FIR against any BJP leader,” he added.
Chief Minister Atishi also echoed similar sentiments, claiming that Congress is actively undermining the AAP. “It is evident that Congress candidates like Sandeep Dixit and Farhad Suri are receiving support from the BJP. This collusion raises questions about the Congress’s commitment to the INDIA alliance,” she said.
The AAP demanded disciplinary action against Maken and other Congress leaders within 24 hours and said if no step is taken, it will push for the grand old party’s expulsion from the INDIA bloc. “We will ask the other parties in the alliance to remove the Congress,” Singh said.