A ‘united’ Delhi Congress to launch protests against Centre, AAP govt

The meeting was more of a homecoming for veteran Congress leaders at a time when Delhi stares at a mini election after 20 assembly seats fell vacant due to disqualification of AAP MLAs for holding office of profit

The Delhi Congress will hold from March 4 an anti-inflation agitation against the BJP government at the Centre and Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi. The protests will be held at 280 spots across the national Capital.

Congress leaders at Rajiv Bhavan in New Delhi, on Monday. (Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

The announcement was made on Monday after a meeting of senior Congress leaders, including Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief, Ajay Maken, former chief minister Sheila Dikshit and All India Congress Committee’s Delhi Incharge PC Chacko at Delhi Congress office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg on Monday

“Delhi people are suffering due to rising prices of essential commodities, unemployment and sealing of markets. In the international market, the prices of crude oil have fallen sharply but still the prices of petrol and diesel are increasing day by day,” Maken said.

“The BJP-led Centre increased excise 11 times on petrol and diesel whereas, the Kejriwal government in Delhi has increased VAT thrice on petrol and diesel. We will hold protests in all 280 blocks on March 4 against both the BJP and AAP governments,” he said.

The meeting was more of a homecoming for veteran Congress leaders at a time when Delhi stares at a mini election after 20 assembly seats fell vacant due to disqualification of AAP MLAs for holding office of profit. It is part of Congress’ efforts to bring the senior leaders together in the national Capital where the party drew a blank in 2015 assembly polls after remaining in power for 15 consecutive years. The incumbent AAP government had won 67 seats in the 70-member house in 2015, rest three went to BJP’s kitty.

Among those who attended the meeting were former DPCC presidents Subhash Chopra, Arvinder Singh ‘Lovely’, who rejoined Congress back from BJP last week, former MPs Sajjan Kumar, Mahabal Mishra, Ramesh Kumar and JK Jain, AICC secretaries, Devendra Yadav and Tarun Kumar, former minister Delhi government Haroon Yusuf, AK Walia, Narendra Narath, Mangatram Singhal, Kiran Walia, among others.

“We are trying to work together as we feel people of Delhi have started missing the Congress rule,” Maken said.

The return of four-time MLA, Lovely to Congress and Maken’s new-found bonhomie with Dikshit is being seen as a boost to the Congress ahead of the likely bypolls. Last week, former chief minister, Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken, who had been at loggerheads since 2004 Lok Sabha polls, put up a united show during a press conference highlighting “failures” of Arvind Kejriwal government on its third anniversary.