Amid rising tension with Congress, Kejriwal says AAP will attend INDIA bloc's Mumbai meet

Amid rising concerns between INDIA alliance member Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress over comments on Delhi Lok Sabha seats, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday clarified that he will attend the Opposition bloc’s third meeting scheduled to be held in Mumbai. Congress leader Alka Lamba had on Wednesday miffed AAP with her “preparing on all seven Delhi seats” remark after a meeting with the party’s top leadership to review its preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections. “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 after preparing ourselves properly in all seven seats,” she had then said. The Aam Aadmi Party hit back, saying there was no point of attending the next meeting of INDIA alliance in Mumbai, if the Congress wants to go solo in Delhi. “We will go to Mumbai, and will let you know about our strategy,” Kejriwal told reporters on being asked whether the party will participate in the meeting. Accusing AAP of “acting jumpy”, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Friday said that Alka Lamba’s remark has nothing to do with the decision of an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party. “There might be two reasons for AAP getting jumpy in this case. One is that they might have got an indication from Amit Shah’s speech where he said ‘AAP will quit INDIA’ and they often listen to the BJP. Secondly, AAP might be missing out on being a party that is talked about,” he said. Dikshit claimed that there is no controversy over the alliance and that the AAP’s statement is either a “tactic to blackmail them or stay in the news.” “There are 543 seats and no other parties are talking like this about the alliance. Samajwadi Party in UP is going to have far bigger bearing. There is no controversy about the alliance. It is the AAP that has to tell us if they are preparing the ground to move away or not. AAP’s statement is either a tactic to blackmail or to stay in the news,” Sandeep Dikshit said. The Congress leader elaborated on the ideological differences between the two parties. “We are way different from the AAP politically, but if they modify themselves and comply with the Congress central leadership, we will support them. The decision for an alliance will be taken by the central leadership,” he said. The logo of opposition INDIA alliance is likely to be unveiled during the bloc’s meeting in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1, according to people aware of the developments. Nearly 80 leaders from more than 26 political parties are expected to attend the meeting in the country’s financial capital. At present, 26 parties are part of the grouping and a few more are set to join the alliance during the two-day meeting. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, known by its abbreviation INDIA, is an opposition front announced by the leaders of 26 parties to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.