Maken raps AAP for making 'false promises'

Taking over as the new President of Delhi Congress, Ajay Maken today rapped AAP for its "false promises" and said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is making demands like full statehood and Haryana water for Delhi to cover his failures as he knows these cannot be fulfilled.

The party, reduced to the margins of the city politics after failing to win a single seat in Assembly polls, put up a show of strength and unity as Maken's detractor and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also turned up briefly at the function attended by almost all top state leaders.

Noting that Congress faces big challenge after losing three elections in the city in 15 months, he said the party can stage a comeback by "sticking to truth" as he cited BJP's drubbing in the polls after it had swept all seven Lok Sabha seats in May last.

BJP lost due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "false promises", including ones on black money, he said.

Attacking Kejriwal, Maken said he had "escaped" to naturopathy treatment while his party was locked in an internal feud.

"Kejriwal goes to Modi and demands full statehood for Delhi, knowing well that BJP did not make such a promise in its manifesto. He then demands water from Haryana. Harayan did not give water to Delhi even when both states were ruled by Congress. Why a BJP government then will give water to Delhi.

"He knows all these things. But he is doing so because he can tell people later that he could not fulfill his promises because of all these things. You have to expose AAP government's failures," he said.

Maken was joined by his predecessor Arvinder Singh Lovely and senior party leader Motilal Vora. Dikshit came for a while and left soon after posing for photographs with Maken and other leaders.

Maken also took a dig at media and said it should decide if it was with Congress or BJP or AAP in the party's "fight for transparency".

He said Modi stormed to power on the strength of media's support to him but he called it 'bazaru' and has banned its entry in central secretariat.

"You presented AAP's rallies attended by hundreds as ones attended by thousands but its government has banned your entry in secretariat. You should decide if you are with Congress or BJP or AAP in our fight for transparency," he said.