No truck with AAP in 2024, no support over ordinance too: Delhi Congress

NEW DELHI: The Delhi unit of Congress has communicated to party leadership that it's not in favour of any alliance with AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and that the party should also not support it on the "ordinance" issue, sources said on Monday.

According to party sources, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge along with Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with the Delhi leaders which included party in charge Shaktising Gohil, Ajay Maken, Arvinder Lovely, Haroon Yusuf, Chaudhary Anil Kumar and others.

During the meeting, the party leadership was told that there should be no alliance with AAP, while Maken said that the party should also not extend its support on the "ordinance" row.

The Delhi Congress leaders left the decision on meeting AAP Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the party leadership.

The meeting comes in the wake of the request from Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi over the ordinance issue.

In a tweet on Friday, Kejriwal said, "Sought time this morning to meet Congress President Kharge ji and Rahul Gandhi ji to seek Congress' support in Parliament against undemocratic and unconstitutional ordinance passed by BJP government and also to discuss general assault on federal structure and prevailing political situation."

After the request from the AAP leader, Congress sources on Friday said that the party is still considering his request.

Last Monday, Congress general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said, "The Congress party has not taken any decision on the issue of the Ordinance brought against the SC judgment on the powers of the Government of NCT of Delhi with respect to appointment of officers. It will consult its state units and other like-minded parties on the same. The party believes in the Rule of Law and at the same time does not condone unnecessary confrontation, political witch-hunt and campaigns based on lies against political opponents by any political party."

Several Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab have opposed supporting Kejriwal over the issue. Senior COngress leaders like Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dikshit and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had already echoed that the party should not support AAP.

After the meeting of the party leaders euth Delhi, Kharge held a meeting with Punjab leaders which was attended by party leaders Partap Singh Bajwa, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Raja Warring, Manish Tewari, Harish Chaudhary, Ashu and others.

With eyes on Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Kharge is also set to hold a meeting with former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and several other top leaders here at the party headquarters.

Meeting over Madhya Pradesh is to start shortly as senior party leaders like J.P. Agarwal, Arun Yadav, Suresh Pachuri, Vivek Tankha, Govind Singh have arrived at party headquarters.

A meeting over Rajasthan is also scheduled later in the day with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his former Deputy Sachin Pilot, Govind Singh Dotsara, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and others.