New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday responded to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s statement that Rahul Gandhi’s fight is to save his party but my fight is to save the country.
Talking to IANS, Khurshid said, “Rahul Gandhi is providing leadership to save the world, he has reached the global stage, while he (Arvind Kejriwal) is still stuck within the country.”
Congress leader Salman Khurshid also reacted to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s statement that AAP should be supported in the Delhi Assembly elections. The Congress veteran said, “There is nothing to worry about. Our leaders are in control. Those who need to be given a new message, those who need to be taken along, all of them will be taken along.”
Khurshid’s remarks gain importance considering the fact that Congress and AAP, two key constituents of the INDIA bloc, are fiercely competing against each other in the Delhi elections. AAP leaders have even called for Congress’ expulsion from the bloc.
While both Congress and AAP fought the Delhi Lok Sabha elections together, they are now contesting the February 5 Assembly elections separately.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s sharp criticism of Kejriwal during the Seelampur rally on Monday further intensified the tension with the former Delhi CM. During the rally, Gandhi accused the AAP chief of following “PM Modi’s strategy of propaganda and false promises” despite the rising pollution, corruption, and inflation in the capital.
Kejriwal responded, saying, “Today Rahul Gandhi ji 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.” This conflict arises amidst growing tensions within the Opposition coalition, as several members – including the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, and Shiv Sena (UBT) – have expressed support for AAP over Congress. The grand old party may be feeling increasingly isolated due to this development.
(IANS)
