Congress appears extending olive branch to AAP

Congress today appeared extending an olive branch to AAP to form a government in Delhi as Arvind Kejriwal today ruled out giving any support to BJP for the purpose.

"A number of senior leaders of Delhi are of the opinion that we should give unconditional support to AAP to form a government. They believe that we should extend outside support to it.

"But we are talking to MLAs from the state. Their opinion is very important. Once we take their opinion, we will apprise the party high command about it," AICC General Secretary in-charge for Delhi, Shakeel Ahmed told the news agency.

His remarks came shortly after Kejriwal ruled out support to BJP and termed as "personal opinion" the remarks of party leader Prashant Bhushan, who told a TV channel last night that AAP may consider supporting BJP if the party gives AAP in writing that it will pass the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The noted lawyer clarified today that what he had said last night was in a rhetorical context.

Bhushan said the party will not stake claim to form government and prefer to sit in the opposition.

"We cannot support BJP or Congress as AAP was formed as an alternative to them. People have supported us so that we can establish an alternative politics in the country," Bhushan said.

Ever since debutant AAP's spectacular show in Delhi polls, Congress has gone soft on Kejriwal's party. Rahul Gandhi had said on Sunday that AAP involved a lot of people who the traditional political parties did not and "we are going to learn from that."

A known detractor of Kejriwal, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh has termed AAP's victory as "something good for the electoral politics of democratic India".

"It strengthens people's belief in democracy, which they were fast losing. In fact, I was the first person to request Arvind Kejriwal that he should gather courage and participate in electoral politics if he wants to enact Jan Lokpal.

"I was also the first one, who complimented him when he formed AAP," he said.