Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) has appealed Congress to show a ‘big heart’ after recent Opposition meet in Patna.
AAP’s reaction comes after heated exchanges with the Congress at the recent Opposition meeting in Patna.
Referring to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's 'mohabbat ki dukaan', senior AAP leader and Delhi's Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said he likes the 'dialogue' which Gandhi often repeats, "main nafrat ke bazaar me mohabbat ki dukaan khol kar baitha hoon (I have opened a shop of love in the market of hatred)", mentioned news agency PTI.
"Sir, we believe there is a nafrat ka bazaar (market of hatred), but you should also give love there. If Opposition parties have come to you asking for love, and you say you don't have it, then it raises questions on your mohabbat ki dukaan," he was quoted as having said.
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Bharadwaj also had cautionary advice for the grand old party on public perception.
He said being egoistic is fine, but there's a threshold beyond which people and other parties will start feeling that the new government after regime change is high on ego.
He also appealed to Opposition parties to move over past comments against each other, as they have been rivals in states, but now need to come together, it said.
"A lot of parties contest elections against each other in different states. Samajwadi Party and Congress contest against each other in Uttar Pradesh. Trinamool Congress, Congress, and the Left fight each other in West Bengal. Left and Congress are rivals in Kerala. In spite of all these contradictions, we have to come together now," he was quoted as having said.
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He also said that such contradictions will cause bitterness as parties have been contesting against each other for long, and may do it again in states, the report.
"However, if you go into what party spokespeople said against each other, then the list is long, from both sides. One has to leave that behind and move ahead," Bharadwaj was quoted as having said.
Rahul Gandhi in the Patna meeting said his party had an open mind about the alliance and was ready to forget the past.
"We are here with an open mind.... without any past likes and dislikes. All of us will be flexible. We will need to be together in this fight, whatever it takes," he had said.
Congress hit back, accusing AAP of being deceitful and trying to break Opposition unity.
Senior leader Ajay Maken in a video alleged that Arvind Kejriwal is "with the BJP" because he doesn't want to go to jail, the report mentioned.
"On one side, AAP is seeking Congress' support; on the other, they are speaking against the party. What do they want, do they want our support or distance themselves from our party...It's very clear that Arvind Kejriwal does not want to go to jail, so he is with BJP and their (AAP) only motive is to break the opposition's unity," he said, the report stated.
