Days after the formation of the Opposition's alliance I.N.D.I.A, the friction between two of its members has started to come to the fore as elections are approaching in the country. On Saturday, Congress hit back at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal for his criticism of its government in Chhattisgarh. Slamming the AAP, the Congress party challenged Kejriwal to compare the performance of the previous Sheila Dikshit government with his current dispensation in Delhi.
The Congress reacted sharply after Kejriwal criticised the "terrible condition" of Chhattisgarh government schools while campaigning in the poll-bound state. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal along with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann addressed a convention of AAP's workers in Raipur.
Congress challenges AAP
Responding to Kejriwal's attack, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "Why go to Raipur? The performance of our Chhattisgarh government will be compared with the previous Raman Singh government. Let us choose a sector of your choice and compare the performance of the Congress government in Delhi vs your government here. Ready for a debate?" He also asked Kejriwal to discuss the ground reality of Delhi, where the entire city is falling into an abyss.
Earlier this week, AAP responded sharply to Congress leader Alka Lamba's statement that the Congress was looking to prepare for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, questioning the purpose of the I.N.D.I.A alliance if the grand old party intended to go alone. The Congress had later clarified that no decision had been taken about the alliance and the number of seats it would fight on in next year's Lok Sabha polls.
Kejriwal campaigns in Chhattisgarh
It should be mentioned here that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a day-long visit to Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Saturday and released 'guarantee cards' for the people to mention what his party will implement if voted to power in the state. This is his third trip to the poll-bound state in the past five months.
(With inputs from PTI)
