New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday continued its attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the arrests of its ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain, accusing it of using the “corruption money” to weaken the principal opposition party.
In its political resolution passed at the Congress plenary in Raipur last week, the party had said a “third force” in the elections would only strengthen the BJP.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Congress spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh, in response to a question on the issue, asked why alcohol always haunts the AAP.
“What is the relationship between AAP and alcohol? One of their CMs, at the height of drunkenness is told in foreign soil that he’s unfit to fly. On the other hand, his Deputy CM when asked about ‘sharab ke theke’, says that he’s built schools,” said Vallabh.
Congress spokesperson from Delhi, Alka Lamba, who’s also been a former MLA with the AAP, said her party would not ally with AAP in Lok Sabha in 2024, adding that leaders like her were communicating the same thing to the high command.
“It’ll be the Congress’ effort to bring together secular forces and fight 2024 in a united and strong manner. But as far as the AAP is concerned, it has become clear that it is the ‘B-Team’ of the BJP. Small workers of the party from Delhi, like me, have communicated the same to the party leadership,” Lamba told reporters at the Congress headquarters in Delhi.
“It is at the behest of the BJP that the AAP went to Uttarakhand, Goa and Gujarat. They went there to divide Congress votes. In all these states, you’ll see that the AAP has eaten into Congress votes,” she added.
Earlier, Congress leaders from Punjab and Delhi – both states ruled by the AAP – had supported Sisodia’s arrest. Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken said Tuesday that the AAP was using “corruption money” to weaken the Congress.
In its official response, however, the Congress has condemned the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Income Tax Department for selectively targeting opposition leaders.
“The Congress has always held the belief that institutions like ED, CBI & Income Tax Dept have become instruments of political vendetta & harassment under Modi Sarkar. These institutions have lost all professionalism. Opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation,” Congress General Secretary In-Charge for Communications, Jairam Ramesh tweeted after Manish Sisodia’s arrest Sunday evening.
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