NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress accusing it of “secret cooperation” with BJP after senior leader Ashok Gehlot called AAP its “opponent” in the forthcoming Delhi elections.
“They (the AAP) are our opposition. They are harbouring a misconception since they won twice (in Delhi). The situation in Delhi has changed now. Congress is doing a better campaign and this time, the results will be different,” Gehlot said after announcing Congress’s ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ for people of Delhi if the party forms a government. The scheme promises to provide Rs 25 lakh health cover per family.
Reacting to the Congress leader’s remarks, Kejriwal shared a clip of his statement and said that the former Rajasthan chief minister’s comments have proved that Congress-BJP are fighting the Delhi elections ‘together’.
“Gehlot ji, you made it clear that the Congress sees the AAP as the opposition in Delhi. You remained silent on the BJP. People also felt that the AAP is the opposition for the Congress and the BJP is its partner. People also believed that the BJP and the Congress are fighting the elections together against the AAP. So far, this cooperation between you two was a secret. Today, you have made it public. Thank you, on behalf of the people of Delhi, for this clarification,” Kejriwal posted on X in Hindi.
Gehlot outrightly rejected Kejriwal’s allegation and called it totally untrue. “BJP leaders are speaking loudly, creating an atmosphere that their victory is certain. On one side is the Aam Aadmi Party and on the other side, the BJP. Congress is well-prepared, and we are entering the field with the intention of winning the elections,” Gehlot said.
The Congress and AAP have been engaged in ugly war of words after Kejriwal ruled out an alliance for the Delhi elections. With the Congress going all out against Kejriwal, the AAP has accused the grand-old-party of helping the BJP.
Last month, Delhi Congress leaders had stirred a row as they launched a vicious attack on Kejriwal, calling him anti-national. AAP had reacted sharply to their remarks and had threatened to campaign for the removal of Congress from INDIA alliance if no action was taken against the Delhi leaders.
With AAP is locked in a fierce contest with the BJP, we are likely to see more of these ugly war of words between friends-turned-rivals.
