Efforts to stitch together a 26 party Opposition alliance ran into several hurdles this week amid preparations for a third INDIA meeting in Mumbai. The crises covered a slew of prominent parties – from the AAP threatening to walk away to persistent rumours that NCP chief Sharad Pawar would join the BJP-led NDA.
The Congress found itself sparring with Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP on Wednesday after a spokesperson said that the party planned to contest all Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.
“No decision has been taken on whether to have an alliance, but we have been asked to prepare ourselves on all seven seats. We will go to the people strongly after preparing ourselves properly in all seven seats,” Congress leader Alka Lamba had told reporters.
“If they (Congress) don’t want to form an alliance in Delhi, then it makes no sense to go for INDIA alliance, it is a waste of time. The party’s top leadership will decide whether or not to attend the next meeting of INDIA alliance,” retorted AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakar.
The Congress issued a clarification later on Wednesday, insisting that no such decision had been taken thus far.
“Alka Lamba is a spokesperson but she is not an authorised spokesperson for talking 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,” said AICC in-charge Delhi Congress Deepak Babaria.
He also cautioned the AAP against being ‘provoked’ into making ‘unfortunate statements’ as the party threatened to walk out of the INDIA alliance.
Meanwhile, concerns about the Sharad Pawar-led NCP continued this week with media reports claiming the senior politician had been offered an Union Cabinet berth. While Pawar had insisted that he remains with the INDIA bloc, a recent closed doors meeting with his estranged nephew has prompted fresh buzz. The developments came weeks after the latter defected to join the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra.
“Sharad Pawar has said that he will remain with the INDIA alliance. I trust that he will go with the INDIA alliance…” said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday.
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan recently claimed that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had offered the senior Pawar or his daughter Supriya Sule a Central cabinet berth. The assertion has prompted a sharp rebuttal from the NCP even as several other Congress leaders questioned the meeting of the Pawars.
“I have received no such offer and neither has anyone had any conversations on those lines with me. You should ask them (Maharashtra Congress leaders) why they are giving such statements. I have no idea. I am personally in touch with senior Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Gaurav Gogoi but I am not in touch with any of their leaders in Maharashtra,” Sule told reporters in Mumbai.
Another Congress leader – Vijay Wadettiwar – also questioned the recent meeting between Sharad Pawar and his nephew. He claimed that the BJP was seeking Pawar’s help in order to improve their standing in Maharashtra as the former was a ‘mass leader’.
“Another reason (for the meetings) is that Narendra Modi has told Ajit Pawar that he cannot become the chief minister unless he can convince Sharad Pawar to come on board (join NDA),” Wadettiwar claimed.
Patole had also added that the Congress was keeping an eye on the developments in Maharashtra politics and will raise the issue in the upcoming INDIA meeting in Mumbai.
“Talks have also been held with our leader Rahul Gandhi in this regard. The Congress high command is also keeping an eye on this. The matter will also be up for discussion during the INDIA meeting in Mumbai,” he said.
The INDIA allies are scheduled to hold their third meeting in Mumbai from August 31 to September 1.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 17 Aug 2023, 04:23 AM IST