Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera launched a sharp attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, stating that if it had been up to Congress, Kejriwal would not have been a part of the opposition’s INDIA bloc. His comments came in response to AAP’s decision to contest all seats in the upcoming Haryana and Delhi assembly elections. Pawan Khera’s remarks reflect the growing tensions between Congress and AAP, despite both being key constituents of the INDIA alliance formed to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with ANI, Pawan Khera said that Congress did not independently decide to include Kejriwal in the alliance, implying that the Delhi Chief Minister had removed himself from the coalition through his own actions. He further took a veiled dig at Kejriwal, suggesting that his political approach was driven by an inflated sense of self-importance. “If Congress was given a choice, I don’t think he (Arvind Kejriwal) would have been a part (of the INDIA bloc). I don’t think we on our own took him or dumped him. He dumped himself out,” Pawan Khera said.
Referring to AAP’s aggressive electoral ambitions in Haryana and Delhi, Pawan Khera remarked that Kejriwal’s leadership was driven by an obsession with himself rather than the larger political objective of defeating the BJP. “The biggest party is responsible for keeping any alliance together. We tried to do that. However, if someone has megalomania, there’s no cure to that. The Delhi assembly elections will tell whether he is permanent,” Pawan Khera stated.
Pawan Khera also addressed concerns about AAP’s rise in Punjab, Goa, and Delhi and its potential impact on Congress. He emphasized the need to prioritize the long-term goal of defeating the BJP rather than being consumed by short-term political gains. “In any political party and politics, different people play different games: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. All three are required. Some of us must play the short-term game, and some of us must be obsessed with the long-term game, which is to get rid of them (BJP). They are our real enemies. They took our votes away. Defeating them is necessary,” he asserted.
When asked whether Congress would support AAP in case of a hung assembly in Delhi, Pawan Khera dismissed the possibility, stating that the people of Delhi have consistently voted decisively in the past and are likely to do so again. He ruled out the likelihood of Congress aligning with AAP under such circumstances, suggesting that fresh elections would be a more probable outcome. “This event will not occur since Delhi will vote decisively as it did in the past two elections. I don’t think (the people of) Delhi have any confusion. If it happens, we will have another round of elections. But I don’t think this will happen,” Pawan Khera said.
Pawan Khera also drew a sharp contrast between Congress’ alliance with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and its differences with AAP, arguing that the latter lacked any ideological foundation. He accused Kejriwal of reducing governance to a transactional model rather than following the principles of ‘rajdharma.’ “There’s a huge difference between Shiv Sena and AAP, between BJP and AAP. Any party which has 10 percent ideology is better than AAP which has no ideology. Is transaction politics? I will work for you if you vote for me. It is my rajdharma to work whether you vote for me or not. If I am in the government, I will provide you with water (facilities) and electricity. That’s my rajdharma. But he also does business in this. This is not ideological,” Khera remarked.
Pawan Khera’s statements come amid heightened political tensions between Congress and AAP, especially in the run-up to the elections. The relationship between the two parties has remained uneasy, with multiple instances of friction despite their formal alliance under the INDIA bloc. AAP’s decision to contest all seats in Haryana and Delhi without a seat-sharing arrangement with Congress has further deepened the rift. While the INDIA bloc was formed with the objective of presenting a united opposition to the BJP, the underlying differences between key allies like Congress and AAP continue to create uncertainty about the coalition’s stability. With elections approaching, the political dynamics between these parties will be closely watched, especially in states like Delhi, where both Congress and AAP have historically had strong voter bases.
