Alka Lamba brings Twitter dare to street, says no freedom in AAP

NEW DELHI: The road outside Jama Masjid witnessed high drama on Wednesday with AAP MLA Alka Lamba from Chandni Chowk standing on a rickety iron stool trying to conduct a referendum if she should join Congress. With a microphone in her hand and a loudspeaker propped next to her, Lamba was acting on a dare by fellow party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj barely 20 hours after he coaxed her on Twitter to resign.
Quite surprisingly, Bharadwaj, who had asked Lamba not to back out and that he would also attend the public meeting, skipped the exercise.
Several locals had gathered to watch her speak despite the sun beating down on them. Lamba came down heavily on the AAP leadership claiming there was “lack of internal democracy in the party.” A majority of those gathered there shouted “No” when she asked them whether she should resign.
“It is sad that when I attack BJP some people from my party attack me. This area is a stronghold of Congress. AAP lost four elections here (2013 assembly election and municipal polls on three seats). You voted for me. AAP has sought my resignation thrice in the last four years. I want to ask what is my fault. I came to AAP to stop BJP,” Lamba said.
Lamba wondered how AAP workers, who have been criticising Congress, will seek votes for Congress when both parties form an alliance.
“Bharadwaj posing questions to a party MLA on social media indicates that the doors of internal democracy are closed in AAP. He put up a resignation letter on social media and asked me to sign it. That is when I decided to conduct the referendum,” Lamba said, adding that it is sad that the opinions of AAP MLAs and workers were not taken before the party decided to propose an alliance with Congress.
The Chandni Chowk legislator said she wants to remain in AAP with dignity, but frequently seeking her resignation is an insult to the people of her constituency. She urged AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to clear the speculation surrounding the talks of AAP-Congress alliance. “The party should first decide whether we have to speak against Congress or BJP,” she added.
Bharadwaj, meanwhile, quipped that Lamba faced the truth during the referendum and hopefully she will now have patience. “Not more than 50 people attended the meeting. She didn’t ask a direct question, perhaps because resigning means she will lose the assembly membership that she wasn’t able to get even after being in Congress for 20 years,” he said, adding that he couldn’t attend the referendum as he was busy in an assembly panel meeting that began at 2pm.
Asked about the ongoing feud between the two legislators, AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said, “The two MLAs are making personal statements. The party is keeping a watch on the situation. If the need arises, the party will take necessary action.”
The tense confrontation between Lamba and Bharadwaj on Twitter continued till late on Tuesday after Congress released its manifesto without including full statehood for Delhi in it. “After Congress didn’t include full statehood for Delhi in its manifesto, people asked me whether AAP will compromise on the issue or refuse an alliance with Congress. I raised this question on Twitter after which Bharadwaj started seeking my resignation,” Lamba said.
The sparring began when Bharadwaj replied to Lamba’s tweet and said: “What do you want? Full statehood or……” Unable to digest this, Lamba reverted: “How does what I want make a difference… anyway the time to ask this question is over… now the people of Delhi will decide.”
After this verbal duel, many were left wondering over her membership in AAP because recently she had said she was ready to join Congress. The Delhi Congress in-charge had even replied that she was welcome back into the party. Lamba had come to AAP after serving Congress for over two decades.