AAP vs Congress: Arvinder Lovely tells Arvind Kejriwal not to test his party’s patience

NEW DELHI: A day after Arvind Kejriwal indicated Aam Aadmi Party’s willingness to form a government in Delhi with the outside support of the Congress, the explosive political chemistry between the two parties was very much on display on Friday.

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, while asking the AAP not test the patience of his party by making frequent attack on it, said Kejriwal’s party should not run away from the responsibility of forming a government in Delhi and implementing its poll promises under the pretext of criticising the Congress.

On its part AAP leader Manish Sisodia said it will not start praising the Congress just because the latter extended outside support. This even as his colleague Kumar Biswa called Congress a party of cheats on Twitter.

Lovely’s statement ostensibly came as a response to some critical remarks Kejriwal had made against the Congress during the past few days.

However, the state Congress chief’s statement also reflects, according to party circles, not only the anger within the Congress over Kejriwal’s remarks but also an indication of how the Congress will politically position itself once the form the government “The Congress is a very old party, and the AAP needs to watch the language they are using. They are testing our patience...We want the AAP manifesto for which people have voted to be implemented.

We can also learn how they will implement their manifesto. We are still standing on our word (of extending outside support to APP). We are not directing them to do something. We just want them to maintain their own decorum while talking,” Lovely said.

Lovely said the Congress has offered outside support to AAP so that Delhiites must get the benefits proposed in the AAP’s manifesto.

“We have agreed to support from outside. We will support the AAP in the legislative assembly. They have won the election only by blaming us and through the promises they have made in their election manifesto. We want to give them a chance to implement their manifesto,” he said.

On his part, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, “We are not here to praise our allies. We are going to call a spade a spade. Whenever we form the government, we will deliver on our promise of punishing the corrupt. So being in alliance with AAP will not provide you with any protection from this.”

Despite Congress’ warning to AAP, Kumar Vishwas went ahead an called Congress a party of cheats on Twitter. He, however, defended this statement saying that Congress has used far more demeaning language against his party in the past.

“The last words I heard from the Congress about me was when Salman Khurshid called us gutter snipes and when Sonia Gandhi said we are like monsoon insects. Not to forget the latest comment was from Beni Prasad, who said I am a joker. So, there is nothing to get upset about what I said as it is nothing in comparison to their language,” said Kumar.