New Delhi, Dec 23: It is a big day ahead for the Aam Aadmi Party as it is all set to stake claim to form the next government in Delhi on Monday. AAP is likely to take the support of the Congress on conditional grounds to form the next government.
The AAP seems to have finally decided to bite the bullet, going through the last leg of the referendum, seeking opinion on government formation with Congress support from outside. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal dropped enough hints on Sunday that AAP would finally lead the next government in Delhi.
The Congress had opposed re-election and offered unconditional support to the AAP, after which Arvind Kejriwal sought public opinion on the matter. AAP is likely to meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung later in the day to convey its decision.
AAP claims that public opinion was in favour of it accepting this opportunity to form the government. It is also apparent the AAP is making plans to take its battle outside Delhi, in the general elections slated to be held in 2014.
AAP had contested Delhi polls on anti-Congress, anti-BJP plank. Therefore, the decision to form government with Congress support also exposes it to attack from the BJP, the single-largest party being made to sit out in the opposition.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley in an article accused AAP of 'compromising on its commitment on aternative politics, enacting a farcical referendum based on a self-serving model'. "Political opportunism should have no place in alternative politics dictated by idealism. AAP may be concerned with the fact that many MLAs including the AAP MLAs do not want early polls. It may even be strategising on how to capture power, announce a few popular decisions and carve out a further positioning for itself. It has, therefore, decided to enact a farcical referendum. In effect, political opportunism is being masked with the idea of popular sanction behind it," Jaitley said in a blog.
While Jaitley questioned AAP for political opportunism, Kiran Bedi, who with Kejriwal was at the forefront of the Anna Hazare led anti-corruption agitation, wondered whether AAP was between the "rock and hard place". "Is AAP between Rock and Hard Place?
Are they very grass rooted? Or are they risk averse therefore require shared responsibility? Time will tell!" she tweeted.
Bedi also raised concern over the "AAP-Congress alliance" in Delhi. "I don't know how long this alliance will last. As a resident of Delhi, I don't want to be a witness of mutual allegations. The alliance is very fragile. We voted for stability, growth, integrity, not a war of allegations," she said.
The Congress also added a rider to the unconditional support it has promised. "The AAP is blaming and abusing the Congress with no solid proof. We have not offered support to the party as such. We have agreed to support them because our manifestos are similar," said Congress leader Kiran Walia.
However, Delhi, it seems after weeks of political uncertainty, will finally have a government.
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