A day ahead of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s third meeting in Mumbai, Aam Aadmi Party’s spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said that she would want to be the party convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to be the alliance’s prime ministerial candidate.
The two-day INDIA bloc meeting is scheduled to be held on August 31-September 1 in Mumbai. A total of 26 Opposition parties have come together to form the INDIA alliance to take on the BJP-led NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Kakkar told news agency ANI, “If you ask me, I would want Arvind Kejriwal to be the Prime Ministerial candidate (of the Opposition alliance).”
She added that the national convenor of AAP has been highlighting issues of the public, and has emerged as the main challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for holding the highest national executive position.
“Be it PM’s academic records or qualifications or any other issue, Arvind Kejriwal has been putting across his views boldly on myriad subjects,” she told ANI.
Kakkar further claimed that even though prices of commodities and food items have increased, inflation is at its “lowest” in the national capital. “Our government provides free water, free education, free electricity, free bus rides for women, and free pilgrimage for the elderly. And, yet we presented a surplus budget. He (Kejriwal) raises people’s issues and has emerged as a challenger (to PM Narendra Modi),” the AAP spokesperson added.
The INDIA bloc’s first meeting was held in June in Bihar’s Patna, and the second one was held in Bengaluru in mid-July. At the Bengaluru conclave, the name of the bloc was finalised.
At the Mumbai meeting, the logo of the coalition is likely to be unveiled and strategic issues including seat sharing are expected to be deliberated upon.
On Sunday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that a few more political parties were likely to join the bloc during the upcoming meeting.