The Aam Aadmi Party will decide on its alliance with Congress for the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walks out of the Tihar Jail, senior party leader Manish Sisodia said on Friday (August 16). He said that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) played a “very big role” in restricting the BJP to below the majority mark on its own in the Lok Sabha polls 2024, however, added that the Assembly polls are a different occasion.
The talks about alliance are discussed around the polls, he said, and added, "Arvind Kejriwal is still inside (the jail). I believe he will be out soon and these questions will perhaps be asked again and answered then."
The possibility of the AAP’s alliance with Congress in Haryana will also be discussed once Kejriwal comes out of jail. The Delhi Chief Minister is lodged in Tihar Jail in a corruption case linked to the alleged liquor scam in the city. He was arrested on March 21.
Sisodia on AAP’s chances in Delhi Elections
"There is a very positive atmosphere in Delhi for the Aam Aadmi Party. I do not say that elections are cake walk. Every election comes with its concurrent challenges. This election (Delhi Assembly) will also have its challenges and we will answer those,” he said.
Sisodia, who also was in jail after his arrest by the CBI in the excise policy case, alleged widespread "misuse of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the BJP-led Centre", and asserted that the INDIA bloc parties should unite against it.
"I am not talking about just Arvind Kejriwal. Rahul Gandhi may go (to jail) in future. Even (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji, Sonia (Gandhi) ji may go. Hemant (Soren) did go to jail and Sharad Pawar's party was broken," Sisodia said. The responsibility of the political parties is not only to save themselves but also the democracy and tell the people about the extent to which the PMLA is being misused, he stated.
The former deputy chief minister, who held 18 portfolios in the Delhi government before his arrest, said he is in no hurry to return to ministerial works.
"It can be told by the chief minister when he comes out," Sisodia said, when asked if he will join back the government as a minister.
"I am not in a hurry. There has been no discussion on it with anyone so far. According to discussions with the AAP leaders, the chief minister will decide my role once he is out of the prison," he said.
Sisodia will take out 'padyatras' across the 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi, beginning Friday, ahead of the assembly polls due in February next year.
(With PTI inputs)
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