New Delhi: Daggers are out within the Delhi Congress over the candidature of Kanhaiya Kumar and Udit Raj, with a number of senior social gathering leaders, together with Sandeep Dikshit and former MLAs, opposing the choice to discipline “outsiders” at social gathering conferences, ThePrint has learnt.
The Congress is contesting three of Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats and its INDIA ally the Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) the remaining 4. Whereas the social gathering has fielded veteran Congress chief J.P. Agarwal from Chandni Chowk, it has given tickets to former BJP MP Udit Raj and Kanhaiya Kumar from North West Delhi and North East Delhi seats respectively.
Resentment amongst social gathering staff was on show throughout a press convention organised Monday to introduce the three candidates at Delhi Congress headquarters.
Offended social gathering staff from North West Delhi and North East Delhi Lok Sabha seats shouted slogans like ‘Baahari candidate nahi chalega’, as Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Beautiful launched the candidates. With staff making an attempt to barge into the corridor the place the press convention was underway, the doorways needed to be locked from inside for over half-hour.
The candidates spoke about their plans for the constituency and in addition focused the Narendra Modi authorities for its failure at the same time as indignant protesters shouted slogans in opposition to the 2 “outsiders”, particularly former MP Udit Raj.
J.P. Agarwal and Udit Raj spoke concerning the work performed by them of their respective constituencies throughout their earlier tenures, whereas Kanhaiya skilled his weapons at Modi on the problems of unemployment, inflation, and so on.
“No one from us is contesting on just one seat; we are contesting on all 543 seats given the present political and economic condition in the country. Inflation is impacting people’s lives; unemployment in the country is at its peak and with each passing day the gulf between the rich and the poor is widening…One one hand, a few people have become the richest people in the world, while others are finding it difficult to buy even essential items,” stated Kumar, the previous JNUSU president, amidst protest by staff.
When contacted, Congress chief Deepak Babaria, in-charge of ballot preparations in Delhi, stated, “Those protesting were not Congress workers. They could be supporters of a Congress leader, who joined the BJP four years back. He rejoined the Congress later on. He has been inactive for a long time, but has been asking for a ticket.” He didn’t identify the chief.
Delhi Congress chief Beautiful was fast to dismiss the protest by social gathering staff because the norm throughout elections. “There is a fight to get the ticket from the party; this just shows that things are in Congress’s favour,” he stated. “The party will take a serious view if this continues after the nominations are filed,” Beautiful added.
Many within the social gathering have been upset with the Congress excessive command’s determination to contest elections in alliance with the AAP and the choice to discipline two “outsiders” (Raj and Kumar), particularly Udit Raj, simply made issues worse, stated 4 senior Congress leaders.
“First, we are contesting on just three seats in alliance with AAP. Now, the party has given a ticket to Udit Raj, who is an outsider. How does the party expect us to seek public support for it?” requested Rajesh Rathore, a Congress block president from Mangolpuri, who together with different social gathering staff shouted slogans in opposition to Udit Raj.
Rajan Sharma, a employee from North East Delhi who got here to the press convention with a gaggle of cadres, requested, “Why couldn’t the Congress give a ticket to a local leader?”
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‘Heated exchange between Kanhaiya, Dikshit ’
Final week, Babaria held two conferences with former MLAs, councillors and district unit leaders to chalk out marketing campaign plans in North West Delhi and North East Delhi seats.
In North East Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar has been pitted in opposition to BJP’s two-time MP and Poorvanchal face Manoj Tiwari.
It’s learnt that former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit’s son, stated through the assembly that the choice to discipline Kanhaiya would adversely influence the social gathering’s efficiency in different seats. A senior Congress chief, who was on the assembly, advised ThePrint, “There was a heated exchange between Kanhaiya and Dikshit.”
When contacted, Dikshit refused to remark.
Requested about rising resentment amongst cadres in opposition to the 2 candidates and stiff opposition from Dikshit, former MLAs and councillors, Babaria advised ThePrint, “There are a lot of leaders in the party. Every individual thinks he/she is the best and deserves a ticket. We have given the tickets to the best candidates.”
In North West Delhi, senior social gathering leaders admit, the state of affairs is far more intense with a number of members within the native unit refusing to marketing campaign for Udit Raj.
In a gathering with Babaria Sunday, former MLAs and councillors had a heated change with him. “Several MLAs and councillors told him (Babaria) that he didn’t properly brief the party high command about the ground reality. Local workers are upset that the party always fields an outsider. The local unit has been working so hard for years now. Why will we go and seek votes for Udit Raj?” requested a former Congress MLA.
“Workers are miffed with Raj due to his comments on Brahmins, Jats and other communities etc,” added a senior Congress chief, who didn’t want to be named.
Hitting again on the native unit leaders opposing his candidature, Raj advised ThePrint, “They are spreading lies about me. I have never said anything against Brahmins or Jat communities. Those opposing me are from the SC community. No Brahmin or Jat is opposing me.
“In fact, I supported wrestlers who were protesting at Jantar Mantar and also the farmers. But yes, I have only questioned why the President of India was not invited to the consecration of Ram temple or for the inauguration of the new Parliament building.”
Two senior leaders with Delhi Congress confirmed that former MLAs, councillors and native unit leaders registered their protests within the conferences.
Requested concerning the protest in opposition to him, Udit Raj stated, “These people don’t matter. They are the ones who got tickets from the party in different elections but lost. The Congress will benefit and will be back in the race if action is taken against such people.”
Divided over alliance with AAP
For the primary time, the Congress, which has been out of energy within the Delhi Meeting since 2013, is contesting the Lok Sabha polls right here as a part of an alliance.
On Sunday, Modi mocked the Congress at a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara for not contesting the New Delhi seat. “This is the first time in post Independence history that the royal family of the Congress party, which lives in Delhi, is not going to vote for itself…,” he remarked.
Many Delhi Congress leaders, particularly former MLAs, stated they have been upset over the choice to ally with the AAP and worry that this may destroy their prospects within the meeting elections, which can be held in February subsequent yr.
“Right now our workers will campaign for AAP candidates. How will we go to the same voters and list the failures of AAP during the assembly elections? For nearly a decade, our workers have worked so hard to rebuild our base. This will have an adverse impact on our prospects in assembly elections,” stated a former MLA.
In an interview toThePrint, Beautiful stated that the “party high command will decide” when requested concerning the influence of the alliance with AAP on the social gathering’s prospects within the Delhi meeting elections subsequent yr.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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