"Arvind Kejriwal is biggest liar...": Anurag Thakur on seat-sharing pact between Congress, AAP ahead of LS polls
Feb 25, 2024
Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 25 : Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allying with Congress, a party against whom he raised corruption charges and vowed to never form an alliance with them.
Calling Kejriwal the "biggest liar", Thakur said that those who had taken a 'Sankalp' that they won't ally with Congress are now walking with them.
"Those who had taken a 'Sankalp' that they won't come into politics and join hands with Congress are now walking with them. This is how Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is, the biggest liar among politicians," Anurag Thakur told reporters on Sunday.
He further said, "Many of his party leaders are in jail, so now he has decided to form an alliance with another corrupt party."
This comes as both parties on Saturday closed their seat-sharing negotiations for Delhi Lok Sabha seats on a 4:3 formula.
As part of the agreement reached between the ruling party in Delhi and the grand old party, Congress will contest 3 of the 7 Lok Sabha seats in the national capital while the AAP will field candidates in the remaining 4 constituencies.
"The people of Delhi defeated the 15-year-old Sheila Dixit government and gave a mandate to Arvind Kejriwal. He was not given a mandate to compromise with Congress. But we all knew that this would happen one day. And today, it is out in the open. I welcome this alliance because this gives the people of Delhi an opportunity to open their eyes and see that there is no difference between AAP and Congress," said Arvind Kejriwal.
Notably, the partners in the INDIA bloc, Congress and the AAP, announced a seat-sharing pact for Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Goa.
At a joint press conference of top leaders of the two parties in the national capital on Saturday, Congress general secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik said his party will contest from Chandni Chowk, North East and North West seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
"As you are all aware, Delhi Lok Sabha has 7 seats. AAP will contest 4 seats--New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi--while Congress will contest 3--Chandni Chowk, North East and North West," Wasnik said.
In neighbouring Gujarat, the Congress will contest 24 of 26 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the remaining two seats Bharuch and Bhavnagar for the AAP.
"Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the Congress will contest on 24 while the AAP will field candidates for Bharuch and Bhavnagar," the Congress leader said.
In Haryana, the Congress will contest 8 of the 9 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will contest the lone seat of Kurukshetra.
"Of the 10 LS seats in Haryana, the Congress will fight on 9 and the AAP will contest one seat-- Kurukshetra," Wasnik said.
He added that the two parties also reached a consensus on the grand old party contesting the prized Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat."After a long discussion on Chandigarh, the two parties decided that the Congress candidate will contest the seat," he added.
As part of the seat-sharing deal, the Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa as AAP failed to register its win in Goa.
"It was further decided that Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa," he said.
The AAP and the Congress have decided to go for a 'friendly fight' in Punjab, given the latter is in the opposition in the state.