Rahul Gandhi refused to forge alliance with AAP in Delhi: Kejriwal
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has refused to forge an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi ahead of the general elections, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said Monday. While talking to reporters at the airport, Kejriwal further said he had met Gandhi recently and the Congress leader had refused to “join hands with the AAP”.
“We have met Rahul Gandhi. Dikshit is not that important leader,” Kejriwal said on being asked about Congress’ Delhi unit president Sheila Dikshit's remarks that Kejriwal never approached her for an alliance.
Kejriwal has been urging the Congress to stitch an alliance in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls to keep the BJP away from power.
According to party sources, leaders in the Delhi unit of the Congress were divided over the issue of alliance with Dikshit and her three working presidents opposing it.
A top source in the party had recently said that chances of alliance were "slim" considering its long term repercussions in Delhi.
"The biggest question is how will Congress face the AAP in Assembly elections due in 2020 after the tie up. Also, the party does not gain much politically as it is being offered only 2-3 seats by Kejriwal," the source had said.
Congress had drawn a blank in the 2014 parliamentary elections in Delhi.
The talk of alliance was fuelled by the fact that the Congress and AAP had jointly polled more votes than the BJP that had walked away with all the seven seats in the national capital.
Delhi has 7 Lok Sabha seats and it will go to polls on May 12.
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