Congress' Pawan Khera's latest salvo against Arvind Kejriwal: 'He wouldn't be part of INDIA bloc if…'

Pawan Khera said Congress wouldn’t have included Arvind Kejriwal in the Opposition INDIA bloc, claiming he chose to leave on his own rather than being excluded.

Published on: Feb 5, 2025, 11:04:44 IST

By HT News Desk

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Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday said that if it were up to Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal would not have been part of the Opposition's INDIA bloc.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal. (PTI)

"If Congress was given a choice, I don't think he (Arvind Kejriwal) would have been a part (of the INDIA alliance). I don't think we on our own took him or dumped him. He dumped himself out," Khera told ANI in an interview. Follow Delhi election live updates.

He also criticised Kejriwal and AAP for contesting the assembly elections in Haryana and Delhi independently.

"The biggest party is responsible for keeping any alliance together. We tried to do that. However, if someone has megalomania, there's no cure to that. The (Delhi assembly) elections will tell whether he is permanent," Khera said.

Also Read | ‘WagonR mein aaye, khambe pe chadh gaye…’: Rahul Gandhi mocks Arvind Kejriwal over ‘Sheesh Mahal’ in Delhi

On a question about whether the Congress party would extend support to AAP in case of a hung assembly, Khera said that it was unlikely to happen.

"This event will not occur since Delhi will vote decisively as it did in the past two elections. I don't think (the people of) Delhi have any confusion. If it happens, we will have another round of elections. But I don't think this will happen," Khera told ANI.

AAP and INDIA bloc

While the Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA bloc at the national level, both are locked in a fierce contest for the Delhi assembly election.

INDIA bloc partners such as the Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress have also backed AAP over the Congress, further increasing friction between the two parties.

Also Read | Arvind Kejriwal accuses Congress of collaborating with BJP ahead of Delhi poll

The Congress has been cornering the AAP over lack of development in Delhi and its alleged corruption, citing the delay in tabling reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the Delhi assembly and the alleged scam over now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

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HT News Desk
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