Congress Is Finished, Says Arvind Kejriwal In Gujarat

Arvind Kejriwal, responding to an allegation by the Congress, declared in Gujarat today, "the Congress is finished" in Gujarat.

The Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, who is in Gujarat to campaign for polls early next year, was addressing a town hall with sanitation workers when he fielded media questions.

A reporter asked him to respond to the Congress' allegation that the AAP government of Punjab is spending crores in ads for Gujarat though it is on the brink of bankruptcy and has no money even for salaries.

"Who asked this question," Mr Kejriwal asked the reporter. When he was told it was a Congress leader's allegation, he shot back: "The Congress is finished. Stop taking their questions. People are clear about this. Nobody cares about their questions."

After its huge victory in Punjab earlier this year, AAP has set its sights on the Gujarat election with Mr Kejriwal making multiple trips to the state.

Mr Kejriwal has been pitching AAP as the BJP's main rival, instead of the Congress. He has urged voters not to waste their votes on the Congress, insisting that the party is nowhere.

"There are people who don't want BJP rule in the state and they also don't like voting for the Congress. We have to get their votes as we are the only alternative to BJP in the State," he was quoted as telling his party.

AAP debuted in Gujarat in the 2017 state election, in which it could not win a single seat. The Congress put up a strong challenge to the BJP, winning 77 seats and restricting the ruling party to 99 of Gujarat's 182 seats.

At today's event, Mr Kejriwal was also asked about the BJP claiming he wants to bring in activist Medha Patkar as Chief Minister in Gujarat.

Mr Kejriwal retorted: "Please tell them Kejriwal has alleged that after Narendra Modi, the BJP is planning to bring in Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister. What do they have to say about that?"