AAP threatens to exit INDIA if Cong goes solo in LS polls in Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday said there was no point in having the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance if the Congress has made up its mind to go solo in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls, after Congress leader Alka Lamba's remark that her party leadership has directed them to prepare in all the seven seats for the 2024 election.

The Congress and AAP are part of the opposition grouping Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. 

AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said its top leadership will take a call on attending the Mumbai meeting of the opposition bloc INDIA, following the statement by Lamba.

Congress leaders from Delhi on Wednesday held a meeting with the party's top leadership to review its preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections and discussed ways to strengthen the organisation.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who were present at the meeting, asked the party leaders to remain united and connected with people, sources said.

After the meeting, Delhi Congress leader Alka Lamba said they have been directed to work strongly in all seven seats ahead of the 2024 polls.

"No decision has been taken on whether to have an alliance, but we have been asked to prepare ourselves on all seven seats. We will go to the people strongly after preparing ourselves properly in all seven seats," she told reporters.

Lamba said that "Congress votes have gone to the AAP" and many senior AAP leaders are in jail for corruption.

"We have been asked to prepare ourselves on all seven seats and remain strong on all these seats," she said

Following her statement, Kakkar said if the Congress wants to fight alone in Delhi, there is no point in attending the INDIA alliance meeting.

"If Congress has made up its mind to fight elections alone in Delhi, there is no point of the INDIA alliance.

"The final decision to attend the next meeting of the INDIA alliance will be taken by the party's top leadership. It was the Congress which approached AAP for forming an alliance in Delhi since they do not have an existence in Delhi," Kakkar told PTI Video.

Other AAP leaders echoed similar sentiments.

AAP MLA Vinay Mishra said the Congress needs to make its stand clear.

"There will be no point of the INDIA alliance if the Congress continues to give statements like this. The Congress needs to make its stand clear," he said, adding that the party's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will take a decision keeping in mind the interest of the country and the people of Delhi.

AAP leader Somnath Bharti said, "Everyone should realise that we should keep our ambitions aside and think about the country and the Constitution."

After AAP's statement, Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary clarified that Wednesday's meeting was not on alliance formation in Delhi and nothing was discussed about it.

"AAP can make assumptions but the decision on alliance will be taken by the AICC central leadership and it will be announced by them. We, as an opposition party here, will raise questions about corruption, " he told PTI.

Former Congress MLA Anil Bhardwaj said Lamba is not authorised to speak on this matter.

"In today's meeting of Delhi leaders with party central leadership, there was no discussion over (INDIA) alliance," he said.

The AICC in-charge of Delhi, Deepak Babaria, said the formation of an alliance, if any, in Delhi will be finalised by the party high command.

"We all decided to oppose the double engine of both the AAP government in Delhi and the BJP government at the Centre," Babaria said.

"We have been suffering for the last several years in Delhi and we are preparing for the elections. We will have our own candidates and they will have their own candidates," he said.

The next meeting of the opposition alliance is slated to be in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1.

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a group of 26 opposition parties have come together under the banner of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. 

Bharatiya Janata Party leader OP Sharma said, "I feel (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal must have said something after the Delhi Services Bill was passed in Parliament that forced them to give such a statement."

On the Delhi Services Bill, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah had earlier said that Kejriwal will quit the opposition bloc INDIA once the legislation is passed by Parliament.

He had asked the opposition “not to indulge in politics of supporting or opposing legislation just to win elections”.