No coalition, understanding with Congress: AAP

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party today said it is not in any sort of coalition or understanding with the Congress and expects "support of the majority" on the floor of the House for its 18 issues, failing which it will "move out". "As we have always maintained, we have 18 issues and we have 28 MLAs, no more," AAP leader Yogendra Yadav told reporters here today.

"We will go to the floor of the Assembly and try to push each of the 18 issues which have brought us to where we are and we would expect that given the nature of these issues, and how much do they matter to the country and to the people of Delhi we would have the support of the majority on the floor of the House. If we don't have, we would move out," he said Trying to end speculation over some sort of understanding between the two parties, Yadav said, "I think much of the questioning and speculation is still being dictated by the old grammar of politics.

Grammar of common minimum program, alliances, tie-ups, understanding, covert understanding, I wish to underline that once again that there is nothing of that kind. We have the numbers, we are going ahead to implement our agenda." Asked about differences within Congress over supporting AAP and apprehensions that the party may try to dictate terms or affect decisions of the Kejriwal-led government, Yadav said, "It is entirely the Congress party's prerogative to take a decision about what they wish to do in the government formation scenario in Delhi."

"It is not for me to advise them, it is not for me to speculate reasons why the Congress may wish to dictate one decision or the other as we have clarified always that we do not have an alliance or a tie up, we don't have an understanding," he said.

"In the absence of that (understanding), there are no rights and obligations. It is not for me to say what they should do. Congress is an independent political party, a mature political party. It is for them to take a decision," he said. 

Next: No going back on support to AAP for govt formation: Cong

No going back on support to AAP for govt formation: Cong

New Delhi: Congress today made it clear that there is no going back on the issue of its support to AAP for government formation, saying it was giving it backing to the newbie's manifesto. "We are supporting the manifesto of AAP at least in the coming time or whatever we have committed to the Lieutenant Governor.

The party will stand by it," Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit told reporters here. "Janardan Dwivedi (Congress General Secretary) made it very clear last night that there is no rethink," he said while admitting that there was a difference of opinion within the party over supporting AAP.

"There is angst among a section of party workers over lending support to AAP. Lot of our workers and leaders have been feeling that we need not support especially after the string of abuses that AAP leaders made in public," Dikshit said.

On Sheila Dikshit's remark that the support is conditional and Congress may withdraw it backing, the MP said the Delhi Congress president has also stated that the support is only to AAP manifesto. He adopted a "first wait and see" approach on the manifesto, the promises made by AAP to "create a heaven in Delhi in three months.... "Because please remember we area also the opposition and it is the role of the opposition to be an opposition. I am very clear that the role of opposition is to oppose and see that one does what the government is supposed to do and has promised to do. And we will play that role to the best of our ability," Dikshit said.

To question on 'mud slinging and lack of trust' between Congress and AAP, he said, "We oppose each other. AAP is like making all kinds of allegation against Congress. You can't expect there being a sense of trust and that is why our Delhi Congress chief has clarified that it's not AAP we are supporting, but its their manifesto and whatever promises they have made.

"Let's give them time. Give them a chance. They have asked for two to three months time to do almost everything they have spoken about," Dikshit said.