Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) general secretary (organisation) and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak on Saturday issued an indirect warning to the Congress amid ongoing talks for alliance between the both the parties for the Haryana assembly elections, saying “whosoever underestimates AAP will repent in the future.”
Alliance talks between AAP and Congress leaders have been going on since Tuesday, but no major breakthrough has been achieved yet even after several rounds of discussions. While AAP is ready for alliance, a section of Haryana based Congress leaders have expressed reservations over such a tie-up with the AAP.
At a press conference (called on a separate issue) at the AAP headquarters in Delhi, Pathak said the party workers and leaders are ready to go it alone in the polls on all the seats and are waiting for a go ahead from the party high command.
“We are ready to contest the election on all seats and all places with all our strength. Whoever underestimates us will repent in future. From AAP volunteers and leadership, I can say that we are completely ready (to contest election). We are waiting for the word ‘Go’ (order) of the party. We will make all announcements (of candidates) soon after we get the go ahead,” said Pathak.
The Congress in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, did not respond to requests for comments.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, did not respond to requests for comments.
{{/usCountry}}Pathak’s remarks came a day after AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha (on Friday) said the party is in talks with the Congress and “every possible effort is being made” for an alliance ahead of the Haryana assembly elections.
Leaders from both sides revealed on Tuesday that the Congress and the AAP have started hectic negotiations for a last-minute alliance in the upcoming Haryana elections. AAP functionaries said that the party wants 10 seats, but the Congress has so far offered seven seats. According to people in the two parties, Congress and AAP leaders have held several rounds of seat-sharing discussions so far.
Asked about “agreement” between the two parties that AAP will contest five seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly, Pathak said he does not have any such information. “The news about seats and all continue to appear in the media every day…I do not have any such information. You are only informing me,” said Pathak.
Pathak said Chadha has already briefed the media on the ongoing tie-up discussions. “Today I have only as much information as you have. Raghav must have briefed you all yesterday. Currently, we all have only that much information,” said Pathak.
Chadha on Friday told the media, “Talks are going on. We are hopeful that an alliance will form in favour of Haryana and the country. Every possible effort is being made.”
To be sure, both the parties had allied for the Lok Sabha polls in Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat earlier this year as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
In the Lok Sabha elections, the AAP failed to win the sole Kurukshetra seat it fought in Haryana under a pact with the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party, however, saw a rise in its vote share since 2014, when it made its poll debut in the state.
The Congress, on the other hand, won five of the nine seats it contested in this year’s Lok Sabha elections. To be sure, AAP has never won any Lok Sabha or assembly seat in Haryana.
An AAP functionary, however, on Friday said the talks for a possible alliance with the Congress for the Haryana elections are on the verge of a collapse, with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party looking to contest solo on 50 seats.
“In Haryana, talks for an alliance with the Congress are on the verge of a collapse. The AAP is preparing to contest on 50 seats. Several disgruntled leaders from the Congress and BJP in the state may also join AAP in the coming days,” the AAP functionary said, seeking anonymity. The AAP functionary, however, did not reveal the reasons for the talks veering on the verge of collapse.
Earlier, Deepak Babaria confirmed talks with the AAP but said that other constituents of the INDIA bloc, such as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) had also approached the grand old party to fight the Haryana assembly elections together.
However, on Thursday, a section of Congress leaders expressed reservations over a tie-up with the AAP.
“AAP has no base in Haryana, and I feel why should we give them a footprint? But if there is some compulsion, then it is up to the high command to decide whether they want to have an understanding with them in other states also,” Congress leader Captain Ajay Singh Yadav said.
“As far as my personal opinion is concerned, Congress does not need an alliance in Haryana... The popularity of Congress is at its peak. AAP can cause no loss to Congress. Why should AAP be allowed to enter Haryana,” he added.