AAP pitches for Arvind Kejriwal as Opposition bloc's Prime Ministerial candidate

Ahead of the third INDIA meeting in Mumbai, AAP pitched for Arvind Kejriwal as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition bloc, saying he had given a development model that the entire country could benefit from.

Replying to a question on who should the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition be, party's chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, "As a spokesperson, I would propose our national convener Arvind Kejriwal's name."

She said Kejriwal had constantly raised the issues of the people and given a model which had led to the least inflation in Delhi. "He has given a model that benefits the people. I would want it to happen but the decision is not in my hands," she said.


This is not the first time the AAP has raised an issue ahead of the Opposition meeting. Ahead of the first INDIA meeting in Patna in June, it had expressed reservations over joining the alliance meeting. Later, when Kejriwal attended the meeting, he expressed displeasure over the Congress not declaring support to the AAP against the Delhi Services Ordinance. After the meeting, the AAP claimed that the Congress' silence raised suspicions about its "real intentions".

Ahead of the second meeting in July, the AAP clearly said that it would join the Bengaluru meeting only if Congress threw its weight behind its move to rally the Opposition against the government's Delhi Services Bill. The Congress declared its support and the AAP joined the meeting.

Kakkar's comments came a day before the Mumbai meeting where INDIA is expected to announce a common secretariat and plans to hold joint rallies to take on BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Mumbai meet comes in the wake of a tussle between the Congress and AAP over parliamentary seats tie-up in Delhi and Punjab. Under pressure from the local state units, the Congress has been playing hardball with the AAP.

"Every party wants their leader to become prime minister," said AAP's Delhi convener Gopal Rai. "AAP members also want their national convener to become PM. All members of INDIA will sit down and whatever the decision is, we will go accordingly."