Topis turned against AAP, but people hard to win

NEW DELHI: "Ji humein laya gaya hai. Humare liye to sab ek hein, chahe Congress ho ya AAP. Lekin Kejriwal chale kyon gaye? Woh hote to Dilli ka kuch achcha hi karte (We've been brought here. To us, Congress and AAP are alike. But, why did Kejriwal leave? Had he still been the CM, he would have only done something good for Delhi)," said a wistful Phool Kumari, a resident of Vijay Nagar. She and more than 50 women, children and men from her colony had come to attend Congress' Pol Khol at Central Park on Sunday.

Phool, like several others who, though not affiliated with Congress, were mobilised by local party workers, enjoyed the pleasant winter sun in the middle of CP, even as leaders hit out at the former AAP government and its chief Arvind Kejriwal. Another group, wearing white caps now synonymous with AAP but with messages like 'mein girgit hoon', 'mein topibaaz hoon' and 'mein jhoota hoon', dutifully shouted slogans against Kejriwal, drowning out the speeches and had to be silenced as leaders took stage.

Another group of women from Kalyanpuri, accompanied by the local Congress worker, had no qualms, or at least no directions to the contrary, in praising Kejriwal. "They did not give him enough time to perform. What else could someone do in a single month? At least he promised to do something for the poor," said a woman from a JJ cluster, a sentiment echoed by the other residents. The team leader, caught completely off guard by the group's candid confession, jumped in to defend Congress, promptly dismissing Kejriwal as an escapist.

Behind them, a more conscientious Congress worker tried to drill into his team that they were to protest against Kejriwal, and if anyone asked them, they should deny being paid for their participation.

BJP supporters too found themselves holding Congress flags and shouting slogans in praise of Rahul Gandhi. "I believe Modiji will become the PM, Prime Minister. But my colony friends were coming here and I tagged along," grinned Prateek, a resident of Uttam Nagar.