Delhi chief minister and the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he would support Congress president Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate if he supported full statehood for the national capital.
In an interview with TV channel News18 India, Kejriwal said, “Whichever party forms the next government, excluding the BJP, will have AAP’s support only if it supports AAP on the issue of full statehood for Delhi.”
Asked specifically about Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal said, “If he is considered as a prime ministerial candidate, then I will support him only on the condition that he supports full statehood for Delhi.”
Under the same condition, Kejriwal said he would endorse West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the prime minister’s post as well.
“AAP is too focussed in Delhi. These are national elections and they should think beyond just Delhi. Getting statehood for Delhi is not as easy as AAP thinks it is,” said P C Chacko, All India Congress Committee Delhi in-charge.
Earlier, addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, was “wasting her time” campaigning in Delhi.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, was “wasting her time” campaigning in Delhi.
{{/usCountry}}“She [Priyanka] is wasting her time in the national capital, why doesn’t she campaign in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh? She is doing rallies in Uttar Pradesh against SP-BSP, she’s doing rallies in Delhi against AAP. Both the brother [Rahul Gandhi] and sister are not going to those places where there is direct fight with the BJP,” Kejriwal said.
On Wednesday, Priyanka led two road shows in the city for the party’s ’ North East Delhi constituency candidate and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit, and South Delhi seat candidate Vijender Singh.
Responding to this, Chacko pointed to AAP’s efforts to ally with the Congress earlier.
“If the AAP thinks that the Congress is not strong enough why did they come for an alliance with us in the capital,” Chacko said.
On April 25, after a potential alliance between AAP and the Congress failed to materialise, Kejriwal had criticised the Congress president saying, “If the Modi-Shah duo returns to power, only Rahul Gandhi will be responsible.”
In the press conference, Kejriwal also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was planning to demolish unauthorised colonies and allot the lands to private builders.
“I have learnt through government officials that the BJP government has drafted a plan to raze all unauthorised colonies in Delhi and handing over the land to private builders. Luxurious apartments will be built in the place of these unauthorised colonies… And those apartments will never be allotted to the poor people who live in those colonies,” he said.
The BJP dismissed the allegation. “Kejriwal has done no work (and) so is now deceiving people with lies and misinformation. It is a figment of his imagination,” said Vijender Gupta, BJP leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly.