Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely addressing reporters after quitting as the Delhi unit chief on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The unease within Congress ranks over the seat-sharing pact with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Lok Sabha poll and party tickets to “outsiders” overlooking the local leadership led to Arvinder Singh Lovely’s resignation from the post of its Delhi unit chief.
The fact was further cemented as party workers clashed outside the leader’s residence after former Congress MLA Asif Mohammed Khan told TV reporters that “by releasing his resignation letter to the media, Mr. Lovely has handed over an advantage to the BJP” ahead of the May 25 Lok Sabha poll in the city.
He also claimed that the BJP will replace its East Delhi candidate Harsh Malhotra with Mr. Lovely, even as the Congress leader said he has not quit the party and only resigned from the Delhi unit chief’s post.
Mr. Lovely, a former Delhi Minister, has been at the helm of the party’s city unit since August last year. He has been instrumental in injecting life back into the party by uniting its old guard.
A source said the discontent has been brewing in the party ever since it entered into a seat-sharing pact with the ruling AAP in Delhi against the wishes of the local Congress leadership.
‘Leaders disrespected’
The tensions escalated after the Congress fielded Udit Raj, a BJP turncoat, from North West Delhi and Kanhaiya Kumar from North-East Delhi seat.
“At a party meeting, a senior Congress leader’s input was disrespectfully shot down by Mr. Kumar who was perhaps attending his first meeting of the Delhi Congress. Such arrogance from a stranger did not go down well with the local unit,” a source in the party said.
Mr. Lovely has also accused Mr. Raj of disrespecting party workers. Mr. Lovely said Mr. Kumar had been giving factually incorrect statements praising Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal against the party line.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Dikshit, the son of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, told reporters that he was pained by Mr. Lovely’s resignation and said “attention needs to be paid to what he said”.
The AICC in-charge for Delhi, Deepak Babaria, whom Mr. Lovely accused of “unilaterally vetoing” decisions taken by the local unit of the party, said Mr. Lovely had enough opportunity to state his displeasure in front of the party leadership.
