‘Don’t align with AAP, keep Kejriwal at arm’s length’: Delhi, Punjab units to Cong

‘Don’t align with AAP, keep Kejriwal at arm’s length’: Delhi, Punjab units to Cong

The AAP had routed the Congress in Delhi – reducing it to a naught in successive Assembly elections, in 2015 and 2020. It also ousted the Congress from power in Punjab in the 2022 Assembly polls.
The Punjab unit of the Congress told the leadership that it will go the Delhi unit’s way if the party enters into any understanding with the AAP. “The situation today is that they (AAP) are the number one party and we are number two party. We will have to maintain complete distance from this person (Kejriwal). We have conveyed this view to the leadership very clearly,” a Punjab Congress leader, who attended the meeting, said.

Another senior leader said AAP was on a “spree to put the entire Congress behind bars in Punjab”.

In just over an year that AAP stormed to power in Punjab, the Vigilance Bureau has started probe against Congress’s at least 15 former legislators and one sitting MLA. The 16 include former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, former deputy CM OP Soni, and seven former cabinet ministers.

At least one leader said the meeting was stormy with the participants indulging in some plain-speaking.
Among those who attended the meeting were the AICC in-charge of the state Harish Chaudhary, state Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and other senior leaders including Om Prakash Soni, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, K P Singh Rana, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh, Gurkirat Singh Kotli and Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

Among those who attended the Congress leadership’s meeting with the Delhi unit were the AICC in-charge of the state Shaktisinh Gohil, state Congress president Anil Chaudhary, and other senior leaders including Ajay Maken, Subhash Chopra, J P Agarwal, Arvinder Singh Lovely, Devender Yadav and Haroon Yusuf. Maken, who has already taken an aggressive stance over the ordinance matter against any association with the AAP, reiterated his position forcefully.

“Leaders from Delhi spoke against supporting the AAP on ordinance. However, at least two of them spoke in favour of supporting the ordinance but only due to technical reasons,” a leader, who was part of the meeting, said. “These two leaders, Lovely and Chopra, were of the opinion that support for the ordinance was warranted given the Congress’s previous stand in favour of more administrative powers for an elected government in Delhi; however, both said the final decision regarding this was up to the high command.”

A majority of the Punjab Congress leaders argued that the party top brass should not meet Kejriwal, arguing that the latter was trying to use the ordinance row to his political advantage.

The Delhi unit too was against the leadership’s meeting the Delhi CM, a senior state leader said. “The AAP has been broaching the subject and trying to exert some influence regarding it behind the scenes through other Opposition leaders the Congress is in talks with. The decision regarding this too was left to the high command. But the general feeling within the party is that if and when such a meeting takes place, it will be for the sake of mere formality,” the leader said.

On the ordinance issue, the party leadership is hard pressed to take a decision, given its stand over federalism in the past and the fact that most of the Opposition parties are going to oppose the ordinance when it comes in the form of a bill in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling BJP does not have a clear majority.

The Congress is trying to rally the Opposition parties to form a front in order to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. So breaking ranks with the Opposition on such a crucial issue related to federalism would be politically difficult for the grand old party, given the point that it has often accused the Narendra Modi government of encroaching upon the domain of the states and curtailing their powers.

However, both the Delhi and Punjab units were not in favour of the Congress opposing the ordinance, with some of their leaders suggesting that the party stage a walk-out when the bill is put to vote.
“We are against support to Kejriwal. We should take a stand as far as ordinance is concerned,” said a Punjab leader, adding that they strongly raised the issue vendetta politics unleashed against party leaders in Punjab. “Kejriwal wants to brand Congress as corrupt party in Punjab. He should be told he cannot be running with the hare and hunting with the hounds”.

Sources said the leaders discussed the political situation in Punjab, including issues such as the fallout of the Amritpal Singh affair, the party’s shock defeat in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll and the functioning of the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government. Some leaders however also said they were cognisant of the larger national reality and left the decision to the high command.

Some Punjab Congress leaders argued that the Mann government had allegedly been “hounding and persecuting” the party leaders and workers and “muzzling” free and independent media (it was mentioned that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau recently issued summons to the editor-in-chief of the Punjabi newspaper Ajit, Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard) and that the party should not be seen as standing with Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, Sidhu said, “We should stand with the Constitution not any individual or party. No politician can stay in denial of the Constitution…The continuous attacks on our constitutional values and norms have been evident through the blatant misuse of Governor’s office…disqualification of Rahul Gandhi…An MP is (being) considered above the law and has not been arrested eben after a Pocso complaint…elected governments being dictated by governors or LGs is now a norm…The legislature is being belittled through a diktat from the nominated representatives”.

“This arrogance stems from the fact that the Centre cares two hoots about public welfare…every government institution drawing strength from constitutional values has been pummelled into submission…Arbitrary control camouflaged under the cloak of democracy…I am against every act that impinges and impedes the spirit of the Constitution and weakens our federal structure,” Sidhu further said.

Asked whether the Congress should enter into an electoral understanding with the AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sidhu told reporters, “There cannot be an alliance when there are ideological differences.”

Warring said that the ball was now in the high command’s court. “The decision will be conveyed soon,” he added.

Meanwhile, a Delhi leader said, “When it comes to ordinance, the Delhi unit was of the opinion that BJP will somehow be able to push it through, so it will be a battle not worth fighting, given the stakes for us when it comes to triggering discontent among our state units across the country by showing any overt support for the AAP”.

Taking aim at the AAP chief, a Delhi leader claimed, “Kejriwal is using this ordinance as a bogey to appear as a self-styled saviour of the Constitution. This is only because he is embroiled in corruption charges which have dented his image.”