NEW DELHI: Hours after Alka Lamba’s statement that the Congress will contest all seven Lok Sabha seats in the capital, AICC in-charge of Delhi Deepak Babaria on Wednesday stepped in to defuse tension between the Grand Old Party and the AAP.
Delhi Congress leaders on Wednesday held a meeting with the party’s top leadership to review its preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls and discussed ways to strengthen the organisation. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi were present at the meet.
Refuting Lamba’s statement, Babaria said that no such discussions took place during Wednesday’s meeting. “Alka Lamba is a spokesperson but she is not an authorised spokesperson to talk on such important issues. I have said as an in-charge that there were no such discussions in the meeting today. I refute Alka Lamba’s statement. Any discussion of the INDIA alliance will only take place in the presence of Mallikarjun Kharge ji,” Babaria said.
Earlier, Lamba said Delhi leaders have been told to contest on all the seven LS seats and asked to focus on strengthening the organisation.
Reacting to Lamba’s statement, the AAP hit out at the Congress, saying that if it has decided to go it alone in Delhi, then there is no point in attending the Mumbai INDIA conclave.
“If Congress has made up its mind to fight elections alone in Delhi, there is no point of the INDIA alliance. The final decision to attend the next meeting of the INDIA alliance will be taken by the party’s top leadership. It was the Congress which approached AAP for forming an alliance in Delhi since they do not have an existence here,” AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said.
DPCC chief Anil Chaudhary said, “AAP can make assumptions but the decision on alliance will be taken by the AICC central leadership and it will be announced by them. We, as an Opposition party here, will raise questions about corruption,” he added.
Alka Lamba clarifies statement
The leader clarified that she never said the Congress would fight the LS polls alone and that her statement was being misinterpreted
(With online desk)