Congress calls Kejriwal's Jantar Mantar rally a 'damp squib'

New Delhi: Congress today dubbed AAP’s rally here as a “damp squib” and accused its leader Arvind Kejriwal of again trying to “mislead” the people of Delhi “to grab power” following his “misadventure” in the Lok Sabha polls.

In a stinging attack on Kejriwal, senior Delhi Congress leader Mukesh Sharma said the AAP leader held the rally only to demand holding of assembly elections in Delhi when the people in the city were reeling under escalating prices of vegetables, fruits and essential commodities.

“Kejriwal’s rally at Jantar Mantar was a total failure. It did not find any support from people of Delhi. In fact most people in the rally were AAP volunteers from Delhi and other states. Kejriwal wants to again mislead people to grab power but this time he will not be successful,” Sharma, who is also DPCC chief spokesperson, said.

The Congress leader claimed that only “7,000 paid volunteers” of AAP along with people from other neighbouring states participated in the rally and people of Delhi kept away.

Addressing a rally at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal gave a week’s time to the Centre for dissolution of Delhi Assembly to pave way for fresh assembly polls and threatened to start a door-to-door campaign if the demand was not met.

Sharma said though Kejriwal–led government had resigned over the Jan Lokpal Bill in February, the former Chief Minister has “forgotten” about the proposed anti-graft legislation and wants to grab power again in Delhi “by hook or crook”.

The 49-day-old Kerjriwal government had resigned on February 14 after it was defeated on the issue of tabling of the Janlokpal Bill in Delhi assembly in the face of a united resistance by outside supporter Congress and opposition BJP.

“Why Kejriwal is not talking about the Jan Lokpal Bill and Swaraj Bill. He had deceived people of Delhi on Jan Lokpal Bill, Swaraj Bill, power and water tariff and many other issues. People will not allow him to deceive them again.

“He has been totally rejected by citizens of Delhi,” Sharma,” a four-time former MLA, said.

Alleging that Kejriwal has “close links” with BJP, he said after ensuring benefit to the party in the Lok Sabha polls, the AAP chief has decided not to contest the upcoming elections in Maharastra, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Haryana.

“We want to know why AAP, which has taken donations from people all over the country, is now shying away from contesting elections in other states.

“AAP contested the Lok Sabha polls to benefit BJP. As his mission was over, the party now does not want to fight polls in other states,” he alleged.

PTI