Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely
Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely today described Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal as the "biggest liar in the country'' and warned that his party would be forced to revise its strategy of propping up the Aam Aadmi Party government if it continued to "shirk its responsibility'' by sitting on protest. (
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"Mr Kejriwal is the biggest liar in the country. We'll not allow him to run away from responsibility, and if he carries on like this, we may be forced to rethink our support,'' Mr Lovely told NDTV. (
Clashes between cops, Arvind Kejriwal's supporters; protesters break barricades)
Union Minister Manish Tewari accused Mr Kejriwal of being "short on delivery and resorting to gimmickry."
The Congress, which has eight MLAs in the Delhi assembly, extends external support to the AAP government. Though many in the party are now said to be questioning the sagacity of persisting with that support, senior leaders admit that withdrawing it is not an option now. (
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"The Congress does not want Kejriwal to become a martyr," said a senior Congressman.
The ruling party has so far treated Mr Kejriwal with kid gloves even as he ratchets up his confrontation with the Centre over control of the Delhi Police. The Chief Minister has refused to budge from his protest outside the Rail Bhawan and seems to be leaving little scope for negotiation.
Congress sources said that the government will not use force or act in a hurry against Mr Kejriwal, who can continue sitting in protest. The Centre is also not inclined to give in to his demands, which, Mr Lovely alleged, were changing constantly.
Mr Kejriwal's presence at the protest site along with his supporters whose ranks are now swelling, is holding up preparatory police work for the Republic Day parade on Sunday. The Congress hopes the Supreme Court will provide a way out by staying the protest or ordering it to move to another place on a petition filed today. (
Government's Republic Day headache: how to shift Arvind Kejriwal)
Mr Lovely has suggested that Mr Kejriwal be treated as the "aam aadmi" he claims to be. "Nobody is above law. Not even the Chief Minister or the Prime Minister. The Centre should follow the law strictly and deal with him in accordance with the law,'' the Congress leader said.