NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday took a potshot at the Congress, saying Rahul Gandhi was "enough" to weaken it, rejecting allegations the AAP was acting as a B-team of the BJP and weakening the Congress.
The Aam Aadmi Party national convenor also sought to maintain distance from the ongoing bid to form a grand opposition alliance to keep the BJP at bay in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Alliance politics should be left to those who are working on it, Kejriwal said, adding he did not understand it.
The Delhi chief minister was replying to questions at a townhall event organised by NDTV.
"Am I needed to weaken the Congress? Isn't Rahul Gandhi enough," he quipped when asked to comment on allegations levelled by political rivals that his AAP was weakening the Congress and acting as a B-team of the BJP to help the saffron party win elections.
On the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' of the Congress, Kejriwal said, "Let them do it. Everyone should do good work. Best of luck (to Congress)."
On efforts being made by opposition leaders, including his Bihar counterpart and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, to form a grand alliance of non-BJP parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Delhi chief minister said India would not become the number one country in the world "by bringing politicians together".
India will become number one in the world only with the alliance of 130 crore people of the country, he added.
"I am not against anybody. But I do not understand this politics of alliance. Leave this politics to them," Kejriwal said.
"If you have to build schools, hospitals, roads or fix electricity-related problems, call me. I will fix the problem as I am an IIT engineer," he added.
Kejriwal said India can be made number one in the world within five years if free and quality education was offered to students, free and good healthcare services made available to citizens and every youngster in the country given a job.
Asked whether such things would happen if the AAP came to power at the Centre and he became the prime minister, Kejriwal said, "In a democracy, people take decisions. When all of them come together, they will decide."
"We have to overhaul the education system, healthcare system and provide employment to every youngster. And this is possible. We have shown by doing this in the past seven years (in Delhi). The country has only been looted and fooled in the past 75 years," he added.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said "going to people" is a good thing, softening his party's critique of the Congress's "Bharat Jodo Yatra", while asserting that the Left party is part of the effort to bring "secular, democratic" outfits in the country together.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had earlier lashed out at the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra for stipulating 18 days for Left-ruled Kerala.
Briefing reporters on the decisions taken at a recently-concluded politburo meeting of the party, Yechury hailed the efforts of leaders such as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar to unite the opposition parties.
He, however remained ambivalent on the efforts of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"Every party has the right to chart its on own path. Going to people is a good thing. The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) is also doing it in its own way," Yechury said, adding that people will draw their own conclusion from the number of days the Congress has planned for the "yatra" in different states.
The CPI(M) leader's comments were in contrast to the party's tweet on September 12, taking a dig at the Congress over its foot march that has kept 18 days for the Left-ruled Kerala and only two days in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
Yechury lashed out at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who had dubbed the CPI(M) as the "A team" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala in response to the Left party's September 12 tweet.
"Kerala has no BJP MLA and the credit goes to the Left parties. As far as team A or B is concerned, you can see what has happened in Goa," Yechury said.
Eight of the 11 Congress MLAs in Goa, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, recently switched sides to join the BJP.
Yechury said the CPI(M) shall join the efforts to bring together the secular, democratic political parties to defend the "Constitution, democracy, democratic rights and civil liberties of people and safeguard the secular, democratic character of the Indian republic".
"The central committee's call for an all-India campaign from September 14 to September 24 against the burdens being imposed on people's livelihood and to safeguard democracy, democratic rights, secularism and the Indian Constitution will be observed in various forms all across the country and will culminate in state-level public meetings and rallies," he said.
India is facing the highest unemployment rate in the last 45 years and it was the duty of the Congress party to strengthen the future of the youth and bring positivity to the minds of youngsters in the country, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday.
Gandhi, who has embarked on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra,' reached Neendakara in Kollam district today, the ninth day since he began his foot march on September 7.
In a Facebook post, Gandhi said he had been meeting many youngsters during the march and was understanding their expectations from the government.
If the country could make use of the youth power, the nation could grow very fast, he said.
"But today the country has the highest unemployment in the last 45 years, educated youngsters are wandering in search of employment and disappointed. It is our duty and also the need of the time today to strengthen the future of our youth, bring positivity to them."
After the conclusion of the morning leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi has been engaged in discussions with cashew workers, entrepreneurs, trade unions and leaders of RSP and Forward Block, both allies of the Congress party.
"I am meeting with many youngsters during our Bharat Jodo trip, understanding their expectations from the government, what kind of help they want from us to make their future bright and how many more possibilities can we create for them," he said.
Gandhi also noted that the purpose of the Yatra was to lend an ear to children, old, young, women, poor, farmers and tribals and to resolve their problems.
"We are also succeeding, the youth are openly talking to us, walking together. I hope we all will unite our India and make it forward," he added.
The evening leg of the yatra will begin at 5 PM from Chavara bus stand and conclude at Karunagapally where the Bharat Jodo Yatra members will halt for the night.
The 3,570 kilometres-long foot march started off from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will conclude in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered Kerala on September 10 evening, would traverse through the state covering 450 km, touching seven districts over a period of 19 days before entering Karnataka on October 1.
Gandhi on Friday resumed his party's Bharat Jodo yatra, a 150-day-long foot march, after a day's rest from Polayathodu in Kollam district of Kerala.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, V D Satheesan, AICC general secretary in charge of Organisation, K C Venugopal, senior Congress leaders, Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, RSP leader N K Premachandran among others were seen walking besides Gandhi.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Gandhi will interact with cashew workers, entrepreneurs, and party allies during the halt of the yatra at Neendakara in the district.
"After a day of well-earned rest, #BharatJodoYatra resumed from Kollam today at 6:45 am. It'll cover 13 km this morning and halt at Neendakara on the seashore. Interactions with cashew workers, cashew entrepreneurs, trade union and leaders of RSP & Forward Block in the afternoon," Ramesh tweeted.
The foot march was launched from Kanyakumari in neighbouring Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will cover 12 states and two Union territories.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered Kerala on September 10 evening, would traverse through the state covering 450 km, touching seven districts over a period of 19 days before entering Karnataka on October 1.
The yatra will enter Alappuzha on September 17 and pass through Ernakulam district on September 21 and 22 and reach Thrissur on September 23.
The foot march will traverse through Palakkad on September 26 and 27 and enter Malappuram on September 28.