AAP says no tie-up is Congress’s fault, but alliance window open

NEW DELHI: Deputy chief minister

Manish Sisodia

and AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh held a

press conference

on Saturday and said Congress has

refused

any

tie-up

with AAP in Haryana, so there was no point giving three seats to Congress in Delhi. However, the two didn’t say that it was curtains on the possibility of an alliance.

Congress wants three seats in Delhi but AAP is willing to give it just two. “Giving three seats to Congress in Delhi would be like giving three seats to BJP,” Sisodia said when asked to comment on the 4:3 seat sharing formula proposed by Congress. “We do not want an alliance only in Delhi, we want to defeat Modi,” Sisodia said.

Asked if AAP still wants an alliance, Sisodia said they want alliance in all places.

Sisodia claimed that Congress proposed 6:3:1 seat-sharing formula for Congress, JJP and AAP alliance in Haryana under which Congress was to get six seats, JJP three and AAP one. “AAP agreed to this formula in the interest of the country. But Congress later backtracked on its own formula. Again Congress proposed 7:2:1 (Congress seven, JJP two and AAP one) formula to which also AAP and JJP agreed in the interest of the country. But Congress took a U-turn and refused to have any alliance,” said Sisodia.

AAP leaders hit out at Congress and accused it of not being interested in protecting the Constitution, the fabric of communal harmony and public interest.

Sanjay Singh said AAP-Congress-JJP alliance would have ensured that BJP didn’t return to power.

AAP sources said the party is still ready for an alliance in Delhi if Congress accepts only two seats. But Congress sources said the party hopes AAP will accept the 4:3 formula. Since April 23 is the last day of nomination the two parties do not have much time.

Earlier, AAP had announced at a press conference on Friday that it was waiting for a response from Congress, but if none came then on all its remaining candidates will file nominations on Monday. AAP even postponed the filing of nomination of three of its candidates: Gugan Singh (North West), Pankaj Gupta (Chandni Chowk) and Atishi (East Delhi).

Sources also said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has approved the names of all seven Congress candidates and a formal announcement will be made on Sunday. While former CM Sheila Dikshit will be the Chandni Chowk candidate, former Union minister Ajay Maken will contest from New Delhi. While Congress had earlier decided to field former Delhi minister Rajkumar Chauhan from North West Delhi, sources now say Delhi Congress working president Rajesh Lilothia may be the new candidate.

Congress will field the party’s Sikh face and former Delhi UD minister Arvinder Singh Lovely in East Delhi, veteran leader Jai Prakash Agarwal in North East Delhi, Olympian Sushil Kumar from West Delhi and Ramesh Kumar from South Delhi.

Meanwhile, with alliance hopes fading, AAP has started circulating messages among its workers, explaining why it was eager for an alliance with Congress and why it didn’t take place. The message contains statements made by AAP leaders in the past one month.