New Delhi: Ajay Maken, a tried and tested commandant of the Congress, is confident that his party will form the government on its own in the national capital. He tells Sanjay Kaw that the 49-day misrule of the Aam Aadmi Party and seven-month non-performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre has established the fact that the Congress is the only party which has the capacity and capability to run an efficient administration in the country.
How are you looking at the Delhi elections?
Things are crystal clear in Delhi. On one side you have several tested and trusted leaders of a secular party; on the other side you have people who only know how to divide people on communal and caste lines. Then you have another bunch of people who specialise in telling lies. Our voters are not only sensible and sensitive, but mature enough to chose the right candidates and ensure that the governance of the city is in the hands of those who can take the city forward.
Whom do you consider as a major rival — the AAP or the BJP?
The BJP has been our traditional rival. So I consider the saffron outfit as our principal rival.
But it was AAP which was responsible for your humiliating defeat in the last Assembly elections in Delhi?
Good that you asked me this question. Things are totally different now. Earlier we were in the government, both at the Centre and in the state. So we were answerable on many issues raised by the Opposition. Now it is the turn of the AAP to answer why they failed to implement even a single promise they had made to the electorate during their 49-day rule in Delhi. Also, the BJP owes an explanation on what all its government has done during the past seven months.
It was the Congress which helped the AAP to form the government in Delhi. So, how can you point a finger at AAP?
We extended our support to the AAP to see how they would fulfil all the tall promises they had made to the people of Delhi. But their inexperience and wrong intentions made them run away from their responsibilities within 49 days. This helped our party to expose all those who are specialists in telling lies. They had been talking about the Jan Lokpal Bill. So why are they silent now on the anti-corruption bill? This is a party of morally corrupt people and they stand totally exposed.
What do you mean by morally corrupt people?
The AAP convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, had sworn upon his children that he would neither seek nor extend any support to any party in government formation. But this power-hungry man did take our support to form his government. And then he left the government mid-way, without fulfilling even a single promise he had made during his election campaign.
During his India Against Corruption movement, under veteran social activist Anna Hazareji, he had said he would not join politics. But he stabbed his guru Annaji in the back and formed his own political party. In reality, it is the Congress leaders who are the real soldiers of Annaji’s anti-corruption crusade. When they were busy in the India Against Corruption movement, I was busy gathering evidence against our Union minister Suresh Kalmadi in the Commonwealth Games case. Now you tell me, who are the real foot-soldiers of Annaji?
Are you also calling Kiran Bedi, who has joined politics, morally corrupt?
Yes. Both Ms Bedi and Mr Kejriwal, disciples of Annaji, have stabbed their guru in the back. First it was Ms Bedi who joined the BJP. Then it was former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi who joined the saffron brigade. You should not be surprised — one day Mr Kejriwal will also pack up to join the BJP.
What are you hinting at?
I am very clear that the AAP and the BJP are two sides of one coin. The agenda of both the parties is to target the Congress. The BJP had been supporting the AAP to divide the secular vote of the Congress. But both stand exposed today. People have understood their game plan. The Assembly elections in Delhi will be the beginning of a new era in Indian politics... This is going to be a candidate-to-candidate in constituency-to-constituency contest.
But a large number of Muslims voted for the AAP in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Our Muslim community has been voting very responsibly in every election. They voted for us in Delhi’s last Assembly elections. But then the BJP created the impression that the Congress was not contesting seriously against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. They projected that Mr Kejriwal was the only candidate who was going to take on Mr Modi in Varanasi. This went in favour of Mr Kejriwal and, as a result, his party managed to get Muslim votes in Delhi. But now they stand completely exposed. The Muslim community is going to vote only for the Congress. We had no communal incidents in our 15-year-old rule in Delhi. But we have witnessed a series of communal clashes in the recent past. The other parties believe in dividing people. We believe in uniting people.
Your please-all manifesto promises electricity at the rate of Re 1.50 per unit to those who consume up to 200 units every month. Is this to counter the AAP and the BJP, both of whom have promised to reduce power tariffs?
I do believe that we should provide subsidies in cases where it is required. But we need to create mechanisms to ensure that people get the maximum benefit from subsidies.
Who is going to form the government in Delhi? If the need arises, will you support the AAP again in government formation?
Our trusted and tested leaders like A.K. Walia, Kiran Walia, Raj Kumar Chauhan, Subhash Chopra, Mr Yusuf, Mukesh Sharma, Yoganand Shastri, Narendra Nath, Mateen Ahmed and several others will together form the government. The Congress will form the government on its own. The recent Delhi Cantonment Board elections showed that the vote share of the Congress has increased by 11 per cent and that of the AAP and the BJP has decreased by 15 and 3 per cent respectively. Whatever the results, the Congress will neither seek nor extend any support to any party in government formation in Delhi.
