No alliance with Cong, AAP to contest all LS seats in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi

New Delhi: Putting an end to months of speculations, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday ruled out the possibility of any alliance with Congress for Lok Sabha polls, and added it will field candidates on all parliamentary constituencies in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.

Senior AAP leader and party’s Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai said the decision came in the wake of the recent statements of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit.

“In the interest of the country, we were ready to drink the poison of Congress, but the statements show that the Congress is still seeped in its arrogance. The AAP will contest all Lok Sabha seats in the three states on its own,” Mr Rai said.

Ms Dikshit refused to comment on the development.

Mr Rai said AAP in collaboration with “like-minded” parties in the country, will defeat the BJP in Delhi and get a new government installed at the Centre.

He said the “vision” of an alliance with Congress came into being on suggestions of leaders like Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin, Chandrababu Naidu and Farooq Abdullah.

“Like-minded leaders like Farooq Abdullah, M.K. Stalin, Chandra-babu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee among others stressed that despite disagreements with Congress, we should fight the elections together in the interest of the country,” he said.

The AAP, despite objections of its Delhi and Punjab units, was ready to go with the Congress to end the “dictatorship of Modi-Shah combine”, Mr Rai said.

“The way Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh issued statement that AAP has no takers in Punjab and Sheila Dikshit said that Congress is a national party and it can not ally with a small party like AAP, made it clear that Congress kept its arrogance above the interest of the country.”

Delhi Congress working president Devender Yadav said AAP’s decision proved that only it was vying for an alliance for the coming polls.

“They were running after us for an alliance and now rejecting it. It shows that they had interest in it and when we declined, they backed out,” Mr Yadav said.

He said that Delhi Congress is of firm view that it will contest Lok Sabha polls alone.

The AAP, which is the main opposition party in Punjab, will launch its campaign for Lok Sabha polls in the state with a rally in Barnala on January 20 which will be attended by party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

The candidates on the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be announced soon, Mr Rai added.