AAP-Congress alliance for Delhi polls to be discussed after Kejriwal's bail: Sisodia

The question of an alliance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with the Congress for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls will be decided after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal walks out of the prison, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said on Friday, 16 August.

In an interaction with the editors of PTI at its headquarters, Sisodia said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), of which the AAP is a part, played a "very big role" in restricting the BJP to below the majority mark in the recent Lok Sabha polls. However, assembly polls are a different occasion, he added.

The talks about alliance are discussed around the polls, he said, and added, "Arvind Kejriwal is still inside (the jail). I believe he will be out soon and these questions will perhaps be asked again and answered then."

The former Delhi deputy chief minister said the possibility of the AAP's alliance with the Congress in Haryana will also be discussed once Kejriwal comes out of the jail. The Delhi chief minister, who is also the AAP national convener, is in captivity after being arrested on 21 March in an excise policy case.

Sisodia, who walked out of Tihar Jail last week, said, "There is a very positive atmosphere in Delhi for the Aam Aadmi Party. I do not say that elections are a cakewalk.

"Every election comes with its concurrent challenges. This election (Delhi Assembly) will also have its challenges and we will answer those," he said.

Sisodia, who also was in jail after his arrest by the CBI in the excise policy case, alleged widespread "misuse of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the BJP-led Centre", and asserted that the INDIA bloc parties should unite against it.

"I am not talking about just Arvind Kejriwal. Rahul Gandhi may go (to jail) in future. Even (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji, Sonia (Gandhi) ji may go. Hemant (Soren) did go to jail and Sharad Pawar's party was broken," said the AAP leader, considered the second most influential leader in the party after Kejriwal.

The responsibility of the political parties is not only to save themselves but also the democracy and tell the people about the extent to which the PMLA is being misused, he stated.

The former deputy chief minister, who held 18 portfolios in the Delhi government before his arrest, said he is in no hurry to return to ministerial works.

"It can be told by the chief minister when he comes out," Sisodia said, when asked if he will join back the government as a minister.

"I am not in a hurry. There has been no discussion on it with anyone so far. According to discussions with the AAP leaders, the chief minister will decide my role once he is out of the prison," he said.

Sisodia will take out 'padyatras' across the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, beginning Friday, ahead of the assembly polls due in February next year.

"After coming back, I see a different type of commitment among the party leaders, MPs, MLAs and councilors who fought the battle. I understand any crisis is an event in which you may be broken or emerge victorious," he said.

The morale in the AAP is not down, Sisodia said, and added that the good thing is neither the party broke apart nor the government was toppled as was witnessed in some states.