Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday responded to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, stating that Gandhi’s focus is on saving the Congress, not on the welfare of the country.
“Today Rahul Gandhi came to Delhi. He abused me a lot. But I will not comment on his statements. His fight is to save Congress, my fight is to save the country,” Kejriwal wrote on X in Hindi.
Rahul Gandhi takes ‘pollution, inflation’ dig
Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Arvind Kejriwal, accusing the AAP chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being involved in “propaganda and false promises,” is seen as a shift in Congress’ strategy to overcome its political setbacks in Delhi. Speaking at a rally in Seelampur, northeast Delhi, Gandhi accused them of ignoring the needs of minorities and backward communities. He also stressed that “Hindustan sabka hai, aur Constitution sabse jaruri hai.”
This move could strain the broader Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, potentially angering regional parties like Trinamool Congress. However, Congress is taking a calculated risk as smaller parties seek to capitalise on its recent electoral losses in Haryana and Maharashtra.
Rahul Gandhi salms Kejriwal, Modi on caste census
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came as tensions between Congress and AAP grew after their alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where neither party won a seat in Delhi. Both the parties also failed to form an alliance in the Haryana state assembly elections in 2024.
He said, “You ask Kejriwal ji whether he wants reservations for the backward and a caste census. When I talk about the caste census, I don’t hear a word from both PM Modi and Kejriwal. There is no difference between Kejriwal and PM Modi as they both make false promises.”
During the rally, Gandhi said both did not keep their promise to reduce inflation, and said that while the poor were getting poorer, the rich were getting richer in India.
The congress leader also said, “After we form government in Delhi, we will get a caste census done and it will help to verify how much participation the minorities and dalits have in Delhi govt and private institutions. Only congress can give all backwards their rightful participation in all sectors.”
Referring to Gautam Adani’s bribery case, where US prosecutors charged the industrialist with paying USD 265 million (around Rs 2,029 crore) in bribes to secure solar energy contracts, Rahul Gandhi accused Kejriwal of staying silent on the matter.
“Has Kejriwal ji ever spoken about Adani? We seek equality and ‘bhaagidaari’ for the poor and minorities. I am clear that we will not allow one businessman to run this country,” he said.
Unkept promises of AAP
Gandhi also criticised Kejriwal for his “clean Delhi propaganda,” where he had promised to transform the city into a Paris-like model. Instead, Gandhi claimed, corruption, pollution, and inflation have increased.
“Kejriwal ji had promised a clean Delhi when Sheila Dikshit was in power. But now, pollution is worse, and inflation and corruption have skyrocketed. If we come to power, we will eliminate corruption,” he added.
Recently, AAP announced plans to consult other parties in the INDIA bloc to remove Congress from the alliance after it filed a complaint accusing Kejriwal of misleading the public with false welfare promises.
Major opposition parties like Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Samajwadi Party have backed AAP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls, leaving Congress isolated in the capital.
During the rally, Rahul Gandhi stated that the country was facing a battle between two ideologies: one that defends the Constitution and another that seeks to undermine it.
He accused the BJP and RSS of trampling on the Constitution, saying, “They pit brothers against each other. Every day, PM Modi and the BJP violate BR Ambedkar’s Constitution. In this country, love will triumph over hate. As long as I am alive, I will protect any Indian who is attacked, regardless of their religion or caste.”