Thu Dec 26 16:15:23 UTC 2024: ## Delhi Congress Leader Questions AAP’s Attacks Amidst Growing Tensions
**NEW DELHI** – Tensions are escalating between the Delhi Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the February assembly elections. Senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit today questioned the AAP’s aggressive campaign against him and colleague Ajay Maken, dismissing accusations as baseless fear-mongering.
AAP, which has governed Delhi for a decade, is demanding action against Maken for his comments on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. While Dikshit faces no direct disciplinary action, Deputy Chief Minister Atishi accused him of being a BJP stooge and receiving BJP funding.
“I don’t know what I’ve done to scare them so much,” Dikshit told reporters, adding that AAP’s attacks stem from a lack of credible arguments. He questioned the claim that AAP is a counterweight to the BJP, pointing out Congress’s consistent defeats at the hands of AAP.
The conflict intensified yesterday when AAP threatened to push for the expulsion of Congress from the INDIA alliance unless action was taken against Maken, whom AAP considers a provocative figure.
At a press conference, AAP leaders Atishi and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the Congress of colluding with the BJP, alleging that Maken acts at the BJP’s behest and is deliberately targeting AAP leaders. Singh further claimed Maken called Kejriwal “anti-national.”
Dikshit, who will contest against Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency, avoided commenting directly on Maken’s remarks, focusing instead on his own political record and dismissing AAP’s electoral chances. He highlighted his long-standing opposition to the BJP, asserting that the entire AAP has never opposed the BJP as strongly as he has.
The escalating feud between the Congress and AAP, a familiar pattern before Delhi elections, is widely seen as benefiting the BJP, which has overtaken Congress as the principal opposition party in the national capital.
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