On Tuesday, it was senior Congress Janardan Dwivedi who broke another one of his long and meaningful silences to equivocate on his party's support to AAP. On Wednesday, it was Congress general secretary and Delhi in-charge Shakeel Ahmad who said that the party would take a call on supporting AAP if the government resorts to any witch-hunting. "The party has not changed its position and all our MLAs will give 100 per cent support. But if politics of vendetta is followed, the party would take a call," Ahmad told MAIL TODAY from Bihar. The senior Congress leader-who played a major role in the offer of support to AAP-said that intemperate language should not be used by the AAP leaders. "If you want support, indecent language is not expected. Language should be guarded," Ahmad added. He insisted that the support will continue, saying, "We have not taken any decision contrary to our earlier decision. They have been saying they will investigate wrongdoing from the beginning, but that doesn't translate into a general witch-hunt on anything and everything. We are clear on not compromising on such activities."
Arvinder Singh Lovely, who has just taken charge of the Delhi Congress, said that the party would raise its voice if anyone indulges in the politics of vendetta. Referring to the AAP stand on corruption, Lovely said it was the duty of every chief minister to fight corruption. "It is the duty of the chief minister and everybody concerned to fight corruption. When they take oath, they also take an oath to fight corruption. It does not necessarily have to be mentioned in election manifestos," he said.
Amid growing buzz that has at least three MLAs and a unspecified number of former MLAs not in favour of supporting AAP, Lovely reiterated that there was no change in the Congress stand on backing AAP in government formation. He said the party will only extend its support to the new dispensation in the Legislative Assembly. On the question of AAP writing to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to elicit the party's stand on the 18 points raised by it, Singh said that it has been clarified that most of those issues were related to executive decisions which any party in power was free to adopt.
Political correctness apart, there is enough smoke going around to back the fire within Congress buzz. On Wednesday, MP Sandeep Dikshit said "There is angst among a section of party workers over lending support to AAP. Lot of our workers and leaders have been feeling that we need not support especially after the string of abuses that AAP leaders made in public." Dikshit said that it is clear that there is no going back on the issue of its support to AAP for government formation, saying it was giving its backing to the newbie's manifesto. "We are supporting the manifesto of AAP at least in the coming time or whatever we have committed to the Lieutenant Governor. The party will stand by it," added Dikshit. When asked about mud-slinging and lack of trust between Congress and AAP, he said, "We oppose each other. AAP is like making all kinds of allegations against Congress. You can't expect there being a sense of trust and that is why our Delhi Congress chief has clarified that it's not AAP we are supporting, but their manifesto and whatever promises they have made."
A rethink
Former Delhi transport minister Ramakant Goswami was on the same track. Hitting out at AAP for their choice of words against the Congress, Goswami said the party high command must do a rethink on giving them support.
AAP leader Yogendra Yadav has meanwhile said AAP is not in any sort of coalition or understanding with the Congress and expects to get majority support on the floor over its 18 issues, failing which it will move out. "As we have always maintained, we have 18 issues and we have 28 MLAs, no more," Yadav told reporters on Wednesday. "We will go to the floor of the Assembly and try to push each of the 18 issues which have brought us to where we are and we would expect that given the nature of these issues, and how much do they matter to the country and to the people of Delhi we would have the support of the majority on the floor of the House," he added.
JD(U) MLA extends support to Kejriwal
Shoaib Iqbal, the JD(U) MLA who won from Matia Mahal, came forward in support of AAP on Wednesday. He said JD(U) leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was supportive of AAP.
Iqbal has been representing the constituency for the last 20 years.
While extending support on Wednesday he said he too, has been battling corruption for 20 years. "Like AAP, I too have been fighting against corruption. AAP has filled a vacuum and I am glad," he said.
Kejriwal asks Bedi to clean up DDCA
Issues related to the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) cropped up when former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi met Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday.
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi met Arvind Kejriwal at his residence on Wednesday."The topic cropped up during our chat. He asked me about the DDCA, but also pointed out that his hands were too full, and I appreciate that," Bedi, who is part of an ongoing campaign to cleanse DDCA of alleged corruption, told Mail Today. The illustrious left-arm spinner said Kejriwal was aware of the events at the Ferozeshah Kotla, where the DDCA headquarters is based.
Will Kejriwal do something about the DDCA? "Only time will tell," Bedi, who is contesting for the post of DDCA president for the December 30 elections, said.
Bedi said he was immensely impressed with Kejriwal's demeanour. "I was pleasantly surprised by his modesty and humility. It was eye-catching," he said. "He said he is an aam admi and I said 'you are very very special'."
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