AAP vs Congress: Kejriwal wants to break opposition, claims Maken
The standoff between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is far from over, as the Congress slammed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over the opposition unity issue. Congress leader Ajay Maken accused the AAP of trying to break opposition unity. Earlier, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mocking his "mohabbat ki dukaan" (shop of love) pitch.
Why does this story matter?
Kejriwal garnered the support of multiple opposition parties and several of his state counterparts against the Centre's controversial ordinance, limiting the Delhi government's hold over its bureaucracy. However, the Congress is still indecisive over the issue and previously showed resistance to supporting Kejriwal owing to past conflicts. The AAP supremo earlier also sought time to meet Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to gain their backing.
Kejriwal supports BJP, doesn't want to go to jail: Maken
"On one side, the AAP is seeking the Congress's support; on the other, they are speaking against the party. What do they want by doing this," ANI quoted Maken as saying. "The thing is very clear...Kejriwal does not want to go to jail, so he is with [the Bharatiya Janata Party], and their (AAP) only motive is to break the opposition's unity," he alleged.
AAP leader Bharadwaj's swipe at Gandhi
Meanwhile, AAP leader Bharadwaj on Sunday took a fresh dig at Gandhi by mocking his "mohabbat ki dukan" pitch. He said he likes Gandhi's famous "dialogue," "Main nafrat ke bazaar me mohabbat ki dukaan khol kar baitha hoon (I have opened a shop of love in the market of hatred)." However, Bhardwaj sarcastically said that Gandhi "should also give love" to the opposition there.
Fresh exchange following arguments at opposition meet
The fresh battle of words between the AAP and the Congress comes after the two parties reportedly had heated confrontations at the recent joint opposition meeting in Patna, where the AAP urged the Congress to support it in the ordinance matter. During the critical meeting, Gandhi reportedly stated his party was open to fighting as a joint opposition and willing to forget the past.
AAP had set pre-condition for attending Patna meeting
According to reports, the AAP attended the big joint opposition meeting in Patna hosted by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with a pre-condition for the grand alliance—that the Congress back it in its fight against the Centre's Delhi ordinance. However, the Congress stressed the Patna meeting wasn't the appropriate forum for that, and they would discuss it in opposition meetings ahead of the Parliament sessions.
Controversial Delhi ordinance
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the Delhi government, granting it power over the national capital's bureaucracy. However, to allegedly bypass the verdict, the BJP-led Centre brought an ordinance to put bureaucrats above the CM, saying it would check the AAP's alleged corruption. Since then, Kejriwal has been seeking the opposition parties' support to block the ordinance in the Parliament.
