Ordinance row: Congress leaders from Delhi, Punjab meet Kharge, Rahul; urge them to not support AAP

Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab met party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and top leader Rahul Gandhi to urge them not to support the AAP on the Delhi ordinance issue or enter into an alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

This acrimony appeared to have no bearing on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as he met Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal hours later to hold discussions on “various common issues” between both states and tweet their appreciation about the positive steps they took.

The leaders from Delhi and Punjab met the leadership separately, days after Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal reached out to Kharge and Rahul seeking an appointment to seek their support.

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Sources said the Delhi leaders argued that there should be no alliance with AAP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Senior leader Ajay Maken led the charge for the Delhi leaders and insisted that the Congress should not give any support to the AAP on ordinance issue.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Punjab leaders led by state unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, sources said. "All the leaders have said the party high command will decide and we have left it to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to take the final decision," Warring told reporters after the meeting.

Warring later tweeted a resolution passed by Punjab leaders who came to Delhi against the AAP government in Punjab for its action against a journalist.

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Sources said most of the state leaders were of the view that Congress should not have no truck with Kejriwal, calling him a "B-team" of the BJP. They claimed that Congress' interests not only in Delhi and Punjab but other states as well.

When Kejriwal reached out to the Congress chief, Kharge told AAP supremo that he will take a call on the matter after having a word with state party leaders. The central leadership is also going to take feedback from leaders from other states.

After his meeting with Kejriwal, Sukhu tweeted about the meeting and said Himachal government has “principally agreed to the demands” of Delhi government, besides discussing water sharing agreements of Renuka and Kishau hydro projects and their speedy completion in “national interest”.

Kejriwal reciprocated saying it was a “pleasure to meet” Sukhu and he looks forward to working together for the betterment of both the states. “We took some good decisions and will take it forward from there,” he said.