AAP leader Sanjay Singh addresses a press conference, in New Delhi, Monday, April 29, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: On a day Congress scrambled to put its Lok Sabha campaign back on track in Delhi after Arvinder Singh's Lovely's resignation, its ally AAP on Monday indicated its surprise over the development with its senior MP Sanjay Singh saying that he played a "crucial" role in forming the alliance and that he does not know why the senior leader took such a decision.
Congress Delhi in-charge Deepak Babaria, who Lovely alleged was listening to local leaders, held a meeting with capital's leaders to chalk out the future campaign plans.
Lovely on Saturday submitted his resignation as Delhi Congress chief protesting against party in-charge and objecting to the choice and conduct of two candidates who are “total strangers” to party workers.
Reacting to the developments, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, ""I say this with responsibility that Lovely played a crucial role in our alliance with the Congress. I am not aware of the reasons for his contrary views now."
Lovely responded saying he was not the Delhi Congress chief when the I.N.D.I.A. bloc was formed while alleging that Singh is suffering from "trauma" after coming out of jail.
Singh said Lovely was the first Congress leader to reach Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence when the latter was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21. When asked about Lovely's comments against him, Singh said he does not make personal comments.
"In Delhi, if the AAP and the Congress are fighting the election together, he has an important role to play. He is saying when the INDIA bloc was formed, he was not the Delhi Congress chief. I spoke about his role in the formation of the alliance. I praised him but he is questioning my memory. Even the prime minister does not doubt my memory," he said.
Lovely said he had no grievance with the Congress and he resigned because he was "incapable" of handling the organisation.
On Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj's comments that BJP may field Lovely in Lok Sabha elections, he shot back saying he did not know that the BJP's tickets are distributed by him.
The rebellion by Lovely, a former minister in Sheila Dikshit government who returned to Congress after a brief stint in BJP, is the culmination of the simmering uneasiness in the party over the alliance with AAP and objections on candidate selection “rejecting” Delhi Congress’ views.