"Not Joining Another Party": Congress Leader On Quitting Delhi Unit Post

Arvinder Singh Lovely, who stepped down from the post of the Delhi Congress chief earlier today, setting off massive speculation about a crossover to the BJP, has clarified that he is not joining any party. Mr Lovely said he has not resigned the primary membership of the Congress and only stepped down from the post as a mark of protest against the tie-up with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.

"This pain is not just mine. It belongs to all leaders of the Congress. I shared it with Mallikarjun Kharge in a letter," Mr Lovely said at a press conference. "And those of you spreading rumours that i ave done this because i was upset over ticket distribution, you know i introduced the candidates three days ago at a press conference," he added.

In a letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr Lovely had pointed to the jailing of several AAP ministers in connection to corruption cases. Still, the Congress formed an alliance with Arvind Kejriwal's party for the Lok Sabha elections. Unable to protect the interests of the Delhi Congress workers, he was resigning from the post, he added.

Mr Lovely said since he announced his resignation, around 35 leaders have called or met him.

Thanking them, he said he has stepped down only from the post of the Delhi Congress chief and is still with the party. "Right now, I have no plan to join any other party," he added.

The Congress and AAP, both part of the Opposition bloc INDIA and known for their differences, have entered into a seat sharing agreement in Delhi amid much resistance from the their rank and file.
Similar resistance elsewhere, especially in Punjab, has scuttled any possibility of seat sharing. In many seats, the two parties are in direct contest violating INDIA bloc's one-on-one contest gameplan.

For Delhi Congress – swept out of power by the anti-corruption campaign by AAP leaders even before the party was formed, and tie-up with Arvind Kejriwal is abhorrent.

The irony of AAP ministers' arrest on corruption charges has not been lost on many in the Delhi Congress.

Even so, after Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, several Congress including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Delhi Congress's Sandeep Dikshit and Mr Lovely had extended support to him.