No alliance with AAP in future: Delhi Congress

New Delhi: Delhi Congress leaders, including district Congress presidents, voiced that the party should not go into any alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in future and fight the upcoming assembly polls on its own, sources said on Wednesday.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav on Wednesday held a meeting with the district presidents and observers to review the feedback of monthly meetings of the blocks and districts level and to set the agenda for the upcoming assembly polls, a statement said.

The Congress and the AAP fought the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance under the banner of I.N.D.I.A. bloc. However, the BJP swept all seven seats here.

"All the district presidents and observers of the national capital were present in the meeting. We have to face the elections in the next six to seven months. We have received several feedbacks and when asked about the alliance, all voiced that the party should contest the upcoming polls on its own," sources said.

It was also decided that during the polls, the party should also focus on campaigning at block level. The block level issues should also be raised during the campaign apart from aggressively targeting the BJP and AAP governments, they said.

Yadav held the meeting with 14 district Congress committee presidents and 42 newly-appointed district observers and reviewed the feedback received from the 280 block and 14 district Congress committee meetings held on July 2 and 5.

Yadav has convened an executive committee meeting of the state Congress on July 15 to discuss the suggestions and observations that came up at the meeting to chart out the future plans of the Delhi Congress, it said.

"The common refrain at the meeting was that the party need to mount aggressive campaigns against the BJP and the AAP governments and expose their lies, falsehood, inaction and incompetence in tackling the major issues affecting the people like water shortage, power crisis, waterlogging, pollution and corruption at all levels. One of the suggestions received at the meeting was to hold protests to highlight local issues, which will make a big impact among the local people towards the Congress," the statement said.

He said that the block and district Congress committee meetings would also give an opportunity to the party workers at the grass-root level to be heard and their suggestions taken into account, as the meetings should not be one-sided.

Yadav also said that the functioning of many block and district Congress committees were not very satisfactory and the party will take some strong steps to activate and strengthen them, and form a team of 10 workers each at the booth level to consolidate the party position.

At the outset, Yadav outlined the need for the block and district Congress committees to shore up their activities more aggressively by involving all sections of the society, particularly the young, as "we need to involve young people to progress to fulfil the vision of party's senior leader Rahul Gandhi".

All block presidents will mount the Congress slogan of "Haath Badlega Ab Dilli Me Be Halath" on 50 auto-rickshaws in their areas, he said.

"The party will evaluate the performance of district presidents who have occupied in their positions for more than three years. Acting presidents will be appointed in blocks without heads so that no post is left vacant in our all out efforts to strengthen the party at the grass root level," Yadav said.

It was heartening to note that there was 100 per cent attendance of district observers in these meetings, he said.

Yadav also said the party will spare no effort in implementing the issues discussed at the block and district levels.

The format to divide 280 block Congress committees on the basis of MCD wards has been prepared, which will be spread over 68 assembly constituencies, while 4-4 blocks will be formed in New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment, and eventually the pradesh Congress committee will have 258 blocks.