Arvind Kejriwal has never followed alliance dharma: Sandeep Dikshit (IANS interview)

New Delhi, Nov 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sandeep Dikshit, senior Congress leader and son of former Delhi CM Shiela Dikshit on Tuesday spoke to IANS on multitude of issues, ranging from upcoming Delhi elections, AAP’s ‘opportunistic’ politics, the ongoing heated campaign for Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls and others.

He described the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as a compassionate voice in politics and pointed out many flaws and corrupt ways in AAP model of governance.

“Congress MP and LoP Rahul Gandhi has always upheld the principles of 'Gathbandan (Alliance) dharma' but AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal never followed it”, Dikshit told IANS in an exclusive interview.

He also talked about party’s expectations in upcoming Assembly elections, AAP’s gamble of replacing the Chief Minister and more. Delhi is set to go to polls in early 2025 and political parties have already laid out detailed plans for electioneering.

Following is the full interview:

IANS: What are your expectations for upcoming Delhi Assembly elections?

Sandeep Dikshit: The elections this time will be held in February. For the past two elections, AAP created an environment of distributing freebies to attract voters in the national capital, which led to a shift in Congress' vote base. Delhi is a wonderful city, but it needs a lot of resources and effort for infrastructure -- like improving the sewage system and roads, adding metro routes and new buses, reducing pollution, and creating employment opportunities. Giving out freebies doesn't foster real development. This has now become evident.

Currently, Delhi is suffering, and those who switched to other parties are now reconsidering the impression our party left and the developmental work Congress did. Congress will become the leading party in the February elections.

IANS: Since your party has been highlighting corruption allegations against AAP, will that become a key issue for Congress in the elections?

Dikshit: Corruption is a major concern, especially since AAP talks a lot about honesty. There are two main aspects. First, there were many allegations initially made against Congress leaders. It's now evident that they were merely false accusations.

We can't rely on someone who started by spreading lies. Today, the way he defends himself against the corruption allegations can't be trusted as well.

Second, as far as development is concerned, it hasn't taken place. So, as a responsible opposition, we question the work done and the repeated instances of corruption that have come to light.

Delhi has limited authority. The Delhi government doesn't have extensive powers to engage in large-scale corruption. Yet, within these limits, the Chief Minister, the Finance Minister, and other cabinet members have spent months in jail.

Allegations are made by other political parties and law enforcement, but whether to grant bail is up to the court. They weren't charged under stringent laws like TADA, where bail isn't usually an option. The cases they were involved in allowed for bail, suggesting the court saw potential issues. So, when the court granted Arvind Kejriwal bail, it clearly stated that he couldn't sign any files or visit the CM's office.

IANS: Kejriwal stepped down from Chief Minister's post and appointed Atishi as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. What are your thoughts on this?

Dikshit: Since the Supreme Court prohibited him from signing files or entering the CM's office, there was little he could do with the position. So, Kejriwal passed it to his closest ally. If you talk to AAP members, they'll tell you that the role was given to her because she's the least likely contender in the party to challenge Kejriwal. Regardless of whether it's Kejriwal or Atishi as Chief Minister, the face remains Kejriwal. His shortcomings and corrupt practices will be evident in the upcoming elections, just as they would have been if he had retained the post.

IANS: There were occasions when Congress supported Kejriwal, especially when he was jailed. Do you think your party scored a self goal by excessively supporting him?

Dikshit: Whenever someone is unjustly imprisoned, we have to raise our voices against it. According to the law, a person undergoes an investigation in police custody. Only after charges are proven, should the person be sent to jail. The case is ongoing, and the person hasn't been proven guilty. No one should be jailed for an extended period without being formally charged. That's why, regardless of it being Kejriwal or Hemant Soren, we support bail for them. But we never claimed that Kejriwal is innocent or without corruption.

Rahul Gandhi is a compassionate person. He never asserted innocence in any case, he consistently said the court would decide. Our sole concern is that under the Constitution, no one should be held in jail unnecessarily. Rahul Gandhi has always adhered to the principles of 'Gathbandan dharma' (Alliance). Sadly, Kejriwal has never followed this dharma.

When Rahul Gandhi was summoned by the ED, or when our leaders were jailed on questionable grounds, did Kejriwal voice any support for us? He claims we are allies but then illegally poaches individuals from our parties under the pretence of offering them election tickets.

IANS: Would you like to become the CM if Congress wins the elections?

Dikshit: First, the names of the leaders contesting in the elections will be finalised. After that, as always, the high command will choose the leader, among those emerge victorious.

IANS: Do you think Congress should declare a CM candidate before the elections?

Dikshit: Conventionally, Congress has never announced a CM candidate in advance. In certain cases, where we have an incumbent CM, we highlight them as a leading figure, but we don't officially declare them a candidate. For instance, Amrinder Singh and Sheila Dikshit. However, this is a parliamentary system for both Parliament and the Assembly, in which elected members of the majority party collectively decide the leader. We don't consider this just a rule, but we uphold it as a practice.

We do highlight key leaders who help us win elections, displaying them prominently in our campaigns and posters, but we refrain from officially announcing a candidate.

Source: IANS