Q: Your strategy behind supporting AAP was to stop BJP at any cost. But it seems to have done more damage to you as your minority vote bank , especially Muslims, has shifted to him.
Lovely: No, it's not correct. In assembly elections, AAP had got 28 percent votes. At that time, Muslims had voted en-bloc for us. In Lok Sabha elections, Muslim votes were definitely divided and a major chunk voted for AAP. Despite that, AAP could manage only 31 percent votes. What does it mean? It means that their supporters in large numbers deserted them.
Even today, there is no consistency in his stand. One day, he says that Congress MLAs are defecting. Next day, he says AAP MLAs are defecting. Some other day, he comes to Congress for support. What do you think of the people of Delhi? Don't consider them that unintelligent.
Q: Do you regret extending support to Arvind Kejriwal for government formation?
Lovely: We had taken a correct decision. In a democracy, if people vote for a party, especially those which had no background, then it has to be accepted. But you have seen the way he told lies, one after the other. He had promised to regularize those working on contract but after becoming Chief Minister, he even refused to meet them. He did not even move their files. Today they are on the verge of losing their jobs. It's because of his myopic decision that ‘Annashree' has come to a close. People are not getting pension.
One day he says he will not take bail but the next day he says he'll take bail. His list of U-turns is very long. For last two months, people of Delhi are in deep trouble because of power outage and lack of water availability, price-rise has skyrocketed, rail fares have gone up but he has no time to stage a single protest on these issues. AAP will stage protest only for holding early polls so that Kejriwal could get back the CM's chair. So Aam Aadmi Party is no longer a party of Aam Aadmi. For them, the party has become a medium to grab power only.
Had this not been the case, they would not have approached the Congress again seeking support for government formation. Congress party has never changed its stand on Janlokpal bill. Our stand remains the same. It's they who have abandoned the issue of Janlokpal bill for which this party was formed.
Q: Is there any possibility of Congress extending support to AAP once again? If not, what is the solution to the stalemate?
Lovely: No way. We have made it very clear that we'll not extend support to anybody. We can't support BJP and we'll not support AAP. The only solution is elections. There should be fresh elections in the state.
Q: We have heard of so many allegations and counter-allegations of horse trading in Delhi. AAP legislators accused BJP of offering them bribe of Rs. 20 Crore while one of your MLAs accused of AAP of breaking your party. What is happening in Delhi?
Lovely: AAP approached our MLA and asked him to convince our party high command. As far as Congress is concerned, nobody has the power to break our party. We are a very old party and we are committed to ideology and commitments of the party. We have not formed this party four days back by wearing caps. It's impossible to split the Congress.
