AAP Challenges Rahul for Debate on Any Issue Related to Amethi

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has challenged Congress vice president and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi to come for a debate on any issue related to his Lok Sabha constituency.

"We have written a letter to Rahul that we are ready for a debate with him on any issue - be it the development of Amethi or attack on AAP workers in Kamraula police station area yesterday," AAP candidate from Amethi Kumar Vishwas today said at a press conference, along with senior party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh.

The three leaders, who led a silent procession of about 1,000 APP workers in protest against yesterday's attack on party activists, asked whether the incident was the reality of Rahul's "yuva josh" slogan.

"Women in Amethi are not safe whereas he (Rahul) has been going on talking about women empowerment," Vishwas said.

Party spokesman Singh charged the police with laxity and said they did not take necessary action in yesterday's attack.

He said he would file a complaint with the Election Commission in Lucknow tomorrow.

Alleging that the attack was Rahul's conspiracy, former Delhi minister Sisodia asked how can he sitting in Delhi not know what his workers are doing in Amethi.

"Has Rahul Gandhi asked his workers why such an attack has taken place... Has he called and asked why this 'goondaraj' in Amethi?" Sisodia asked.

The leaders said the party would organise "sadbuddhi yagna" at all district headquarters in the state on March 19 to pray that better sense would prevail on Congress workers and vowed that AAP workers would not raise their hands even if attacked.

On AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's controversial remarks on the media, they said he had spoken about a section of media and named a newspaper for improper coverage about which a complaint had already been made.

On reports about the party's funding, the AAP leaders said they were ready for a probe by the highest probing agency and if found guilty they would themselves write to the Election Commission requesting for cancellation of the party's registration.

The AAP leaders rejected reports that party colleague Shazia Ilmi was dissatisfied, and said she has been given ticket from Ghaziabad on AAP workers' demand.

At a party workers' meeting earlier, Singh said a big rally would be organised here soon and senior leaders including Kejriwal would address it.

He said even if (BJP's prime ministerial candidate) Narendra Modi loses the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi BJP would not be finished as it has a second line of leadership, but if the Congress wins 300 seats and Rahul loses from Amethi, Congress would be divided into five parties.

Singh said there is no difference between SP, BSP, BJP and Congress and termed the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh as "dangon ki sarkar" (government of riots) during whose tenure 125 riots have taken place.

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