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NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi rebuffed Arvind Kejriwal’s fervent appeal for support over the central government’s Delhi ordinance at the meeting of opposition parties in Patna on Friday, saying that the pressure on Congress to commit itself publicly to go along with AAP smacked of “mischief”, sources said.
Sources in AAP also said the Congress leader did not agree to Kejriwal‘s plea to bury the animosity and make a fresh beginning by hammering out an understanding over the ordinance by having a discussion on the sidelines of the Patna meeting. He did not budge even when West Bengal CM suggested that the two sort out the issue “over a cup of tea”. “We have a process for taking such decisions,” Rahul is said to have replied.
Congress did not respond to TOI’s queries till the time of going to press.
Going by the account of AAP sources, Congress had, with Kejriwal having publicly declared that he would push the party to end the suspense over what stand it might take in Rajya Sabha over the ordinance, had gone into the meeting prepared to resist the Delhi CM. Its stand became evident as soon as the Delhi CM made a passionate plea for Congress’s support.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, AAP sources said, responded to Kejriwal by reading out from a compilation of anti-Congress statements by AAP functionaries. Kejriwal tried to underplay the issue by saying that the AAP functionaries referred to by Congress chief were small-time party functionaries.
The Delhi chief minister also said that senior Congress leaders had said far more provocative things about AAP but it was time for the party to move beyond the rivalry and join hands.
Sources in AAP also said the Congress leader did not agree to Kejriwal‘s plea to bury the animosity and make a fresh beginning by hammering out an understanding over the ordinance by having a discussion on the sidelines of the Patna meeting. He did not budge even when West Bengal CM suggested that the two sort out the issue “over a cup of tea”. “We have a process for taking such decisions,” Rahul is said to have replied.
Congress did not respond to TOI’s queries till the time of going to press.
Going by the account of AAP sources, Congress had, with Kejriwal having publicly declared that he would push the party to end the suspense over what stand it might take in Rajya Sabha over the ordinance, had gone into the meeting prepared to resist the Delhi CM. Its stand became evident as soon as the Delhi CM made a passionate plea for Congress’s support.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, AAP sources said, responded to Kejriwal by reading out from a compilation of anti-Congress statements by AAP functionaries. Kejriwal tried to underplay the issue by saying that the AAP functionaries referred to by Congress chief were small-time party functionaries.
The Delhi chief minister also said that senior Congress leaders had said far more provocative things about AAP but it was time for the party to move beyond the rivalry and join hands.
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