New Delhi:The Congress on Friday alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a pact with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to divide anti-BJP votes across the country, further claiming that the grand old party was the only national opposition to the saffron party.
“There is a pact between the Prime Minister and AAP chief minister to divide the anti-BJP votes across the country. The AAP did that in Goa, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand and will now go to the states which will have polls this year. Till they work as the BJP’s B Team, Arvind Kejriwal would be free. Otherwise, he too would be behind the bars like other AAP leaders Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia,” Congress spokesperson Alka Lamba said.
“There is a game going on in the country involving the BJP and AAP. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is out of jail till he takes the BJP line across the country. The day he starts focusing on Delhi and stops going out of Delhi, he would be seen in jail along with Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia,” she said.
Earlier, Lamba had left the Congress to join the AAP, and became an AAP MLA in Delhi but soon got fed with the new party and returned to the grand old party. She is now an AICC member. Over the past years, the Congress, which has been projecting itself as the natural anchor of the larger opposition unity, has been targeted by both the AAP and the TMC.
“There is only one strong national opposition to the BJP - the Congress, which proved itself through the recent Bharat Jodo Yatra. All others are regional opposition. Don’t be in any doubt about those who claim to be in the opposition. The 4,000 km yatra proved that the only party opposing the BJP nationally is the Congress and the Congress leader is Rahul Gandhi, who is not under any pressure. Our president Mallikarjun Kharge too raised his voice against this,” she said.
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The Congress further slammed the AAP over its double standards over corruption saying the new party had come to power in Delhi on the anti-corruption issue but over the past eight many of its senior leaders and ministers had been jailed over corruption charges. “In comparison, the AAP and the BJP used to level allegations against the UPA government. But they have not been able to prove a single charge against our leaders,” Lamba said.
The Congress leader said the ED’s arrest of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor scam was right. “The central agencies are misused by the Centre. 95 percent of the ED raids, including against Congress, were wrong. But the 5 percent raids, including against the AAP, are right. We want a fast-track probe into the liquor scam which was first raised by the Delhi Congress,” said Lamba.
Taking a dig at TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who recently said she would fight the 2024 national polls alone, the Congress said that each party was free to take decisions. “Bengal’s Didi went to Goa and Tripura…what did she gain only she knows…she took a decision and it is before all of us… we welcome it. It is their party stand and we have nothing to do with it… we have to take our own stand,” said Lamba.
