NEW DELHI: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel dropped a bomb ahead of Mumbai meet planned by constituents of I.N.D.I.A, saying Congress won’t align with AAP in the upcoming polls in his state.
His statement has opened fresh cracks in the I.N.D.I.A outfit, less than a month after it was floated in Bengaluru in presence of Grand Old Party’s MP and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “If there was going to be a direction from my party, it would have come. Since there is no one, we are not going to fight together. We will fight as enemies,” said Baghel.
The 62-year-old CM also fired salvos at Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, saying he knows how to remain in limelight in the media. “Kejriwal knows very well how to remain in the media throughout,” he told reporters at the Congress headquarters in national capital.
READ MORE: ‘Mama’ has deceived people, ‘chacha’ will keep promises: Kejriwal in MP
Last week, Kejriwal, during his visit to Chhattisgarh, Aam Aadmi Party supremo had made multiple promises aimed to win over the masses. The promises included the commitment to provide round the clock uninterrupted electricity supply and 300 units for free, if his party is voted to power. He also assured the waiver of pending electricity bills up to November 2023.
EXCLUSIVE: Chhattisgarh CM, @bhupeshbaghel addressing the media at Congress headquarters in New Delhi said: “If the I.N.D.I.A alliance was intended for the State Legislative Assembly elections, my party would have notified me”
Reports: @joymalabagchi pic.twitter.com/scZZlmw5Ot
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) August 24, 2023
I-N-D-I-A is a 26-party coalition. This alliance of the 26 opposition parties, displaying a show of unity during their conference in Bengaluru, assumed the new mantle of the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (I-N-D-I-A).With Baghel’s remarks, the unity they projected on stage and in front of media cameras seems to be a formidable force gaining momentum. However, on the ground, the situation remains as ambiguous as it has been, leaving uncertainties lingering.
READ MORE: INDIA bloc to start seat-sharing discussion at Mumbai meet
Baghel’s assertion that “the I.N.D.I.A alliance is only for the 2024 elections” has now opened a fresh war of words after Congress MLA Pratap Bajwa in Punjab and Delhi leader Alka Lamba, who was this week included into list of AICC office bearers, has been taking direct to AAP.