Kejriwal's proclamations on Opposition unity 'calculated move' to sabotage it: Ajay Maken

The former Union minister said Kejriwal seeks the Congress' help for the ordinance yet unabashedly ridicules its leaders, including Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan

New Delhi:Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on Sunday hit out at AAP for taking swipes at his party and alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's proclamations on Opposition unity are not for cohesion but a "calculated move to sabotage it to "curry favour" with the BJP.

The former Union minister said Kejriwal seeks the Congress' help for the ordinance yet unabashedly ridicules its leaders, including Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan. "His ministers place prerequisites on our alliance, while their chief spokesperson publicly disparages our party and leaders on the day of the Opposition party meeting. To brazenly criticise and then demand support, is this how alliances are sought, Mr. Kejriwal?" Maken said on Twitter.

"Kejriwal's political manoeuvres in recent weeks have left many baffled. However, let me elucidate the truth. His desperate attempts to evade imprisonment on corruption charges, wherein two of his colleagues are already jailed, are reasons for these actions," the Congress leader claimed. Kejriwal's proclamations of Opposition unity are not for cohesion but a "calculated move to sabotage it and curry favour with the BJP. Past actions of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Parliament, the Delhi Legislative Assembly, or elsewhere only reinforce their surreptitious alliance with the BJP", he said.

Maken alleged that AAP was using corruption money to fight elections in several states to "help the BJP" and harm the Congress. "Kejriwal's betrayals are infamous - just ask Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, and the founders of the Anna movement...,'" Maken said in a scathing attack on the Delhi CM.

"However, be assured Kejriwal, your deeds have not gone unnoticed. Your massive corruption and utilisation of these ill-gotten funds to sabotage the Congress in Goa, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal, Uttarakhand, and Assam, just to help the BJP, won't be forgotten," the Congress leader said. Under the guise of being an 'aam aadmi' (common man), Kejriwal "manipulated" Delhi's citizens, using Rs 171 crore of public money to build a "palace" for himself, Maken alleged.

"Your actions have unmasked the grim truth, Mr. Kejriwal. You're no longer a champion of the 'Aam Aadmi' or a crusader against corruption. Instead, you stand knee-deep in corruption, living a lavish lifestyle like a king in your 'Sheesh Mahal'," the former Union minister alleged. (PTI)