Dikshit Attacks Maken for Cong Rout in Delhi Polls

Dikshit Attacks Maken for Cong Rout in Delhi Polls

NEW DELHI: Sheila accuses the Congress campaign committee chief of not taking other party leaders along during the poll campaigning, Congress in-charge in Delhi P C Chacko and DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely come out in Maken’s defence ,dikshit says maken failed to highlight the achievements of the Cong govts in 15 years till 2013.

Following the Congress’ rout in the Delhi Assembly elections, the infighting in the grand old party’s state unit has come out into the open.

Three-time former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday attacked Congress campaign committee chairman Ajay Maken, accusing him of not taking other party leaders along during the poll campaigning. “I pity Maken. He lost focus and he never took us along. He thought he would do all by himself. He did not involve anyone else. Quite obviously his style did not help the Congress party,” she said.   The party lost all the seats, although it had contested all the seats in the 70-member Assembly.

Dikshit appeared to fault the last-minute decision to bring in Maken saying, “Change was made in the last minute. Maken coming in and Arvinder Singh Lovely not contesting.” “Maken could not enthuse the party. He failed to highlight the achievements of the Congress governments in the 15 years till 2013. It was not my achievement. It was the Congress’ achievement. They should have taken my name (during the campaign). Had they done it, the party would have done better,” she said.

Dikshit also criticised the current Delhi Congress leadership for failing to appoint the block and District Congress Committees before the polls. The Committees were dissolved following the party’s drubbing in the 2013 Assembly polls.

In the wake of Dikshit’s tirade, Congress in-charge of the party affairs in Delhi P C Chacko and Delhi Congress chief Lovely came out in support to the beleaguered Maken, who was the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate.

“The Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) said that it is unfortunate. She said that senior leaders should exercise restraint. She asked me to convey to all senior leaders to refrain from making such comments on their colleagues,” Chacko said.

Chacko also criticised the former Delhi CM saying it was better for Dikshit to keep mum and said the party did not endorse her views. Maken loyalist Lovely said there was no point in dishing out advice in the post-poll scenario and that it was not the right time to criticise party workers. “She is our elder. We respect her a lot.If she has any issue in conveying it to us, she should have conveyed it to the AICC.”

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