The suspense over whether the Congress will ally with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for the coming Lok Sabha elections continues with the former giving out mixed signals about the possibility of a tie-up with Arvind Kejriwal's outfit.
“There is no talk on an alliance. We will be as we are,” was the response of Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit on Thursday when asked to give clarity on whether her party had taken a call on the question of allying with the AAP. Dikshit was asked the question at a press conference held at the Delhi Congress office to talk about the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
Immediately afterwards, AICC in-charge of Delhi affairs P.C. Chacko, to another question on the possibility of an alliance in the national capital, said, “We will come to you as and when the party takes a decision.”
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Dikshit as well as the three working presidents of Delhi Congress—Haroon Yusuf, Devender Yadav and Rajesh Lilothia—are opposed to tying up with the AAP. Their main argument against having an alliance is that Kejriwal is an unreliable customer. They have also pointed out to the Congress high command the awkward position the Lok Sabha tie-up will put the party in when it goes to the people in the assembly elections which are due next year.
On the other hand, Chacko and former DPCC chief Ajay Maken are among the main proponents of having an alliance with the AAP. They argue that if the Congress and the AAP contest separately, it will be akin to giving the BJP a walkover in the capital. The saffron party had swept Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, winning all seven seats on offer.
According to sources, the AAP has offered the Congress two seats in Delhi. However, the principal opposition party is bargaining for three seats.
Hinting at the Congress being open to an alliance with the AAP in Delhi, party chief Rahul Gandhi recently said, “We have been open to construct alliances and we have done it across the country. We are very flexible on this issue.”
