Veteran leader Sheila Dikshit, as she took charge as president of the Delhi Congress on Wednesday, ruled out an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for the Lok Sabha elections, noting that the statements made by the AAP legislators in the assembly about former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had caused immense hurt to her party members.
“What they said about Rajiv Gandhiji in the assembly, we were all badly hurt by it. They had no right to say all that,” Dikshit told reporters after assuming charge as Delhi Congress chief. She was referring to the demand made by AAP MLAs during a discussion in the assembly on the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 that the Bharat Ratna awarded to Rajiv Gandhi be withdrawn. There was also a controversy over whether the resolution passed by the assembly on the 1984 riots contained that demand.
Asked about the AAP telling voters that 'any vote for the Congress is in fact a vote for the BJP', Dikshit said, “Let them say that. We will also say, don't give vote to them.”
The 80-year-old leader, who was the chief minister of Delhi for three terms before getting vanquished by Kejriwal's party, took over as the DPCC chief at a grand event at the state party office. The party's intent to showcase the occasion as heralding the Congress' readiness for the coming elections was clear with almost every senior politician from Delhi in attendance, and a huge crowd of party workers turning up.
Dikshit was escorted to the event by her predecessor Ajay Maken, who had quit recently over health reasons. She was accompanied on stage by her three working presidents—Haroon Yusuf, Rajesh Lilothia and Devender Yadav.
Addressing the party workers, the former chief minister made a plea to fight the elections unitedly. Dikshit was clearly mindful of the deep divisions that existed in the Delhi Congress, creating hurdles for her on numerous occasions during her tenure as the chief minister.
“Lok Sabha elections will take place in April-May. We should be able to tell Rahulji and Soniaji that we will win all the seats in Delhi...We have to work together. The Congress develops cracks sometimes. We have to ensure that the Congress is one,” she said.
Earlier, welcoming Dikshit, Maken spoke about the “development” that Delhi saw under her reign, and criticised the Kejriwal government for “pulling back” the national capital in terms of developmental work.
“Our numbers here today should send out a strong message to the AAP and the BJP offices that are not very far from here,” he said.
AICC general secretary-in-charge of Delhi P.C. Chacko said that at the start of a crucial battle, the reins of the party in the national capital have been given to its senior most leader. “Twenty years ago, she was the Delhi Congress president. And the 15 years, as the chief minister, she decided the destiny of Delhi. She turned Delhi into a modern city. And today, she is taking over as Delhi Congress president,” he said.
