NEW DELHI: In a exclusive interview after the results of Delhi Assembly elections were out, AICC general secretary and in-charge of Delhi elections PC Chacko tells Express that the party is not yet over.
On AAP’s victory:
We see this as a colorful victory for AAP. We congratulate Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. In every election people expect a government. Last time nobody got the majority. So there was no government in Delhi.
We tried our best to help other parties to form government even though we have nothing in common. We extended support to Kejriwal. He did not succeed in running a government. It’s very rare that in politics a person gets a second
chance. Kejriwal, after failing last time, got a second chance. We wish him well in running a good government in Delhi and also fulfilling all his promises.
On decimation:
Congress’s vote share was dwindling since 2013. In 2013, we had only eight seats when we got 25 per cent votes. It’s quite natural that when we are getting less than 10 per cent votes, we will end up in zero. The electoral arithmetic is very simple. But the fact is we lost the vote bank to Aam Aadmi Party. That’s what we are aiming at and we will try to get it back. It’s only a question of time.
On rout:
Congress will be revived in Delhi. In many states there were occasions when Congress was completely routed. Congress was finished was the prediction of many people. But the party can never be finished. It’s is part and parcel of the feeling of the people of India. In every grain of sand in this country, Congress is there. So Congress cannot be wiped off. Congress may lose but it will come back. And the revival is only a matter of time. We will try to get back our lost support and try to come back.
On resignation offers of party leaders:
We don’t want to run away. We don’t want to leave the Congress. This is our moral responsibility. We lost election in Delhi. We are talking moral responsibility for the defeat. We offered our resignations. Party leadership may make changes which they may think right.