Divisions within Cong over including AAP in coalition

THE SP AND THE TMC ARE KEEN ON AAP BEING PART OF THE COALITION BUT CONGRESS’ MAKEN IS AGAINST THE IDEA

NEWDELHI: The Congress is caught in a bind over the inclusion of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the proposed grand alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019, highlighting one of the fundamental problems in such a grouping.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are keen on Arvind Kejriwal’s party being part of the rainbow coalition (in the making) but the Congress is divided on the issue with the party’s Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken strongly opposing any tie-up with the AAP.

Another section in the party favours an alliance with the AAP in the three states of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. A senior Congress leader, who is supportive of the idea, met party president Rahul Gandhi for more than two hours a few weeks ago. The leaders of this section are of the view that the Congress and the AAP have a common agenda of ousting the BJP from power at the Centre and the two parties together could reap rich electoral dividends in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana where Kejriwal’s party has a “considerable” support base.

“When you are fighting a big battle against a vicious enemy, small issues have to be put on the back burner. We have to show large heartedness and take everybody along in this fight and especially when the objective is same,” said a Congress leader who favours a tie-up with the AAP for 2019 and who asked not to be identified.