Ensure Congress wins all Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi tells workers

The AAP has already announced its candidates on six of the seven seats, except West Delhi. The Congress is yet to announce its nominees.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged party workers in Delhi to work towards winning all seven Lok Sabha seat, apparently scotching speculation that his party will strike a pre-poll pact with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The AAP has already announced its candidates on six of the seven seats, except West Delhi. The Congress is yet to announce its nominees.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged party workers in Delhi to work towards winning all seven Lok Sabha seat, apparently scotching speculation that his party will strike a pre-poll pact with the Aam Aadmi Party. (Bloomberg)

“Congress has to win all the seven seats in Delhi and you all [the booth-level workers]have to ensure it,” Gandhi said, addressing workers at a booth convention organised at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Monday.

Both the AAP and Congress kept alive the grapevine over a probable alliance by not categorically denying it. Despite Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit ruling out an alliance last week, her meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday once again triggered whispers that it might lead to talks between the two parties.

AAP’s Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai on Monday clarified, “We are not in talks with the Congress for an alliance in Delhi and we would contest all seven seats in the May 12 Lok Sabha elections on our own.

In his first address after the election commission announced the dates for the parliamentary polls, Gandhi also attacked the BJP for its “divisive politics”. He asked the participants whether they want “an India of [Mahatma] Gandhi or [Nathuram]Godse”.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Centre’s “unfulfilled promises”, Gandhi said five years ago when Modi was campaigning for the elections, he requested voters to support a chowkidaar, with a 56-inch chest. However, now, he said, whenever you say “chowkidaar” to someone walking on the street, they respond with “chor hai”.

“In Parliament, we [Congress] asked him four simple questions on the Rafael deal,and for one-and-a-half hours the PM criticised Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, the Congress; everything under the sun, but did not answer the question... he was hiding his face. The man with a 56-inch chest could not meet our eyes,” Gandhi said.

Amid cheers and slogans of “Congress ko wapis laana hai”, Gandhi also mentioned the Pulwama terrorist attack in his speech. In a sarcastic comment, Gandhi said, “The Pulwama attacks were orchestrated by Jaish-e-Mohammed, by Masood Azhar. It was under the BJP regime that Masood Azhar ji was taken in a plane with Ajit Doval and handed back.”

The BJP hit back at Gandhi for adding an honorific ‘ji’ after the name of Masood Azhar. “Come on “Rahul Gandhi Ji”! Earlier it were the likes of Digvijay Ji who called “Osama Ji” and “Hafiz Saeed Sahab”. Now you are saying “Masood Azhar Ji”. What is happening to Congress Party?” tweeted Ravi Shankar Prasad, union minister of law and justice.

Vijay Goel, union minister and a senior leader of the BJP in Delhi, also hit back at Gandhi and said the people of the country have lost faith in the Congress chief. “People do not trust him (Gandhi). He does not know about the issue of sealing in Delhi. He does not know that the sealing was ordered by the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee. We have made provisions under Master Plan to provide relief to businessmen, but what did the Congress do when they were in power?”, Goel said.