New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said his party would do everything to stop the Modi-Shah duo from coming to power and support any “secular mahagathbandhan” after the general election.
Addressing the media after releasing the party manifesto here, Kejriwal said the AAP’s focus would be on getting full statehood for Delhi. “We will fight our battle on the issue of getting full statehood for Delhi,” he said.
Kejriwal targeted Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah over his remarks to remove “infiltrators” except Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. “This proves that the BJP plans to remove all other religions except these three religions,” he said.
The chief minister also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi after the AAP and the grand old party failed to form an alliance.
“Want to ask Rahul Gandhi which alliance is formed on Twitter? If Modi, Shah return to power, only Gandhi will be responsible,” Kejriwal said.
He alleged that the country’s unity was being challenged by the BJP and asserted that the general election could help save the nation.
“We will do everything to stop the Shah-Modi duo. We will support any grand alliance government. The 2019 election is to save nation, save Constitution. We are Indians first, then Hindu or Muslim,” Kejriwal said.
“Our unity is being challenged. The country can be saved only if we don’t get divided across religion and caste lines, he added.
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In the period leading up to the election of 2004, when the Congress was the underdog, and for the entire decade that it was in power, Smt Sonia Gandhi, as Chairperson of the UPA, had a very cordial, mutually respectful relationship with the allies. She was assisted by her Political Secretary, Shri Ahmed Patel, who understood India’s political terrain. That does not seem to be the case today. Whoever becomes PM, the Congress will be at the head of the coalition, should the numbers so dictate. How many senior regional leaders feel comfortable, one on one, with Shri Rahul Gandhi. Whether it is forming the coalition, allocating portfolios, running the show cohesively for the full term, a much higher level of comfort and trust need to be nurtured.