‘How can the BJP govt be successful when its MPS have failed?’

A DELHI Congress veteran, Arvinder Singh Lovely is no stranger to elections. But the Lok Sabha polls this time are going to be different — the party is contesting in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), once its bitter rival, as part of the INDIA bloc. The President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) speaks to The Indian Express about the changed dynamics, implications of Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, and the issues that are going to matter the most for Delhi voters this time around. Excerpts:

Why has Delhi Congress not yet declared its candidates?

Delhi goes to polls in the sixth phase — on May 25. It would be wrong to say that we are behind. As far as Delhi is concerned, there are three political forces contesting the elections here; the AAP and the Congress are contesting together but Delhi Congress is the only political party that has held workers' conventions in all seven Parliamentary seats. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has even visited homes to kick off our Guarantee Card campaign. No other political party has held a single rally in any of the constituencies. So, as far as election campaigning is concerned, we are far ahead of others.

Are there implications being felt after the arrest of Kejriwal?

The whole country has faced issues due to his arrest. What has happened to the democratic values of this country? Right when elections are around the corner, they freeze the bank account of a major opposition party of this country; after the declaration of elections, they arrest two elected people — (Jharkhand CM) Hemant Soren and (Delhi CM) Kejriwal. Their (Centre's) motive is to ensure that Opposition parties remain busy in their cases rather than focusing on the elections.

Congress is showing a unified front with the AAP but it was your leaders who had first highlighted the alleged scam...

Congress has never supported corruption; even when it comes to our own leaders, we ask for accountability. But the question is not whether he is corrupt or not, it is about the timing of his arrest. They are using agencies to further their political agenda.

It was earlier believed that the Congress had already zeroed in on candidates but now new names like your own and that of Kanhaiya Kumar are coming forward. What led to this reevaluation of candidates?

Until the time candidates are finalised, we will continue discussing both new and old names so that we can field the best candidate possible.

The AAP did not field a woman candidate this time; will the Congress do so? BJP has fielded two...

We only have three seats where we are fielding candidates in which we cannot accommodate representation for women but when it comes to the panindia level, definitely, we will give representation to every section — whether it is Muslims, women, SCS/STS or other castes.

The Delhi Congress had made its own manifesto committee, are there any issues that the committee has narrowed down on?

We will make constituency based manifest os because there are specific problems that the North-east, North-west and Chandni Chowk face as separate constituencies. Overall, the biggest issue is pollution that the entire Delhi is suffering from. Even an unborn child's life is in danger but nobody is bothered. Public transport system has lapsed: On one hand, the Prime Minister talks about making India a superpower but in 10 years of their governance at the Centre, they have not introduced a new mode of transport at even a single place. There is not one state where they have provided electrical trams; they could have provided monorails in Delhi, and introduced trolleybuses. Even Delhi Metro's work is getting delayed... they had promised to clean the Yamuna but the only time you see BJP MPS around is when they get themselves clicked there during Chhath Puja. The worst part is that after every five years, the BJP changes its candidates. So, whoever wins on a BJP ticket knows that they’re not going to get another chance and therefore, they do not work. When their MPS have failed, how can their government be successful?

Is the Congress likely to ask the AAP to review its candidates given the fact that there seems to be a mismatch as far as Delhi’s traditional approach of fielding Jats, Brahmins and other communities on different seats is concerned?

In Delhi, the elections have always been above caste. It is more about development and the intentions of the candidate.

Are there any chances of you contesting the elections?

I’m the party’s Delhi head, my job is to make others contest elections. But whatever the party seniors decide, I will be up for it.

Express Arvinder Singh Lovely.