Congress hopes babudom will dwarf tall claims

NEW DELHI: A day before Aam Aadmi Party is expected to form the government, Congress leaders—especially those who were part of the government in the last 15 years—remain hopeful that AAP will not be able to keep the ‘tall claims’ it has made to voters. Blaming inefficiency and corruption in the system on ‘bureaucracy’ , Congress leaders said the real test for AAP would be to get work done from bureaucrats who ‘run the system in the true sense.’ “Each day, people are harassed and forced to pay bribes to get small jobs done. The party will have to start at the grassroots if it wants a corruption-free system,” a senior Congress leader said.

"It is easy to throw a party out of power by giving speeches and organizing protests.We have been there for 15 years and know what it means to run a system. They will soon find out that politicians have a limited role to play," said a three-time Congress MLA.

Anticipating that AAP will initiate inquiries against Congress leaders after coming to power, party leaders have already started building their defence. “Their promises are unrealistic. Once they fail, they are sure to divert attention from themselves by initiating inquiries against Congress leaders. This will not only force Congress to withdraw its support from the party but will also cause the government to collapse,” another senior leader said.

Three-time Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, refused to comment on the challenges AAP is likely to face if it forms the government . "I have been there and done my bit. What remains to be seen is how the new government fulfills its promises," said Dikshit. “Congress too wanted to slash power tariffs but people should understand that prices are fixed by DERC and not the government,” said another leader.