The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), facing the action of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the liquor scam, has got the support of several opposition parties. Leaders of 8 parties including Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wrote a letter to PM Modi expressing displeasure over Sisodia’s arrest. However, the discussion is becoming more about why the main opposition party Congress, which has accused the Modi government of misuse of investigative agencies, is not supporting Kejriwal on this issue? Some leaders definitely targeted the Modi government after Sisodia’s arrest, but the party is refraining from showing sympathy to Kejriwal.
Both the Congress and the AAP have been accusing the BJP of harassing opposition leaders by misusing central investigative agencies. But both the parties avoid supporting each other. On not getting the support of the Congress, AAP leaders allege that the country’s oldest party is in collusion with the BJP. Even after the arrest of Sisodia, many leaders said the same. However, the Congress side also did not delay in reminding that Kejriwal’s party had kept silence when the investigative agencies took action against other big leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi.
Congress attacking ‘AAP’
Far from supporting AAP, after Sisodia’s arrest, the Congress has launched an aggressive attack on the party that wrested power from it in two states. Welcoming the arrest of Manish Sisodia, the party has talked about going door-to-door to tell the public ‘your exploits’. The leaders of Delhi unit are very happy with this decision of the party and have started attacking ‘AAP’ strongly. On Monday, posters were seen pasted at the party office, showing Sisodia and Satyendar Jain behind bars. It has been written quoting Kejriwal – The one who is corrupt is a traitor. Congress leader Alka Lamba, who was once in AAP, said, ‘Congress believes that BJP misuses agencies in 95 percent of the cases. 5 percent of the cases are correct and out of these, Sisodia is also there. “Just because we don’t want to be seen with the BJP doesn’t mean we will support corruption,” he said.
AAP hurt by not getting together
AAP’s hopes have suffered a setback due to non-cooperation of the Congress and Kejriwal’s party is questioning it. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj, who is going to become a minister in the Kejriwal government, said, ‘I want to remind Congress supporters and leaders that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were also called for questioning by the CBI-ED. The Aam Aadmi Party had this opportunity and also has the resources to display Congress posters in every street. But we kept restraint in this, the Congress broke the decorum that it had to keep. Due to this, many supporters of Congress are also worried that today there was a chance that Congress would have supported other parties in Parliament in Adani’s case, but it did not do so. The Congress supported the running of the Parliament and gave the government a chance to escape. Congress had the opportunity to stand with all the opposition parties and say that these agencies are being used wrongly. But Congress spokespersons are saying that 95 per cent are wrong and 5 per cent are right. This is a matter of concern for the Congress.
What is the reason for the distance?
The Congress has not given any official response on the reasons for its distance from AAP, but political analysts list several reasons. It is believed that the first reason for this is that before Sisodia or Satyendar Jain, CBI and ED have taken action against many veteran leaders of the Congress party, but AAP and its convenor Arvind Kejriwal have kept silence on these occasions. The second reason is also that from Delhi, Punjab to Gujarat, AAP has hurt the Congress politically. In Delhi and Punjab, where Kejriwal wrested power from the Congress, he made a big cut in vote share in Gujarat. In the coming days, AAP is also going to contest elections in states like Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where Congress governments are in power.
Congress is repenting by supporting once
Some party leaders also remind that Kejriwal’s first government in Delhi was formed with the support of the Congress. Describing that decision of the party as a ‘mistake’, some leaders of the party, on the condition of keeping their names confidential, say that they are still facing the consequences. Since 2013, the party has reached the floor in Delhi. Significantly, it was during the UPA-2 government at the Center that Kejriwal had launched an anti-corruption movement under the leadership of social worker Anna Hazare. It is said that it played an important role in creating an atmosphere against the Congress.
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