Congress slams AAP for demanding Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna be withdrawn; wants Kejriwal to apoligise

The Congress on Saturday slammed the AAP-led Delhi government and has asked CM Arvind Kejriwal to apologise for passing a resolution in the Delhi Assembly.

Congress Delhi President Ajay Maken said that the Delhi CM should apologise. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government and has asked chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to apologise for passing a resolution in the Delhi Assembly demanding that the former PM Rajiv Gandhi be stripped off his Bharat Ratna. The resolution was proposed over former PM’s failure to curb the 1984-anti Sikh riots. Speaking to news agency ANI, Congress Delhi President Ajay Maken said that the Delhi CM should apologise and the resolution should be expunged. “Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the country, not even BJP has ever demanded to take back Bharat Ratna from him. Kejriwal should apologise and this portion of the resolution should be expunged from the assembly’s proceedings,” Maken said. The resolution passed in Delhi Assembly has triggered massive political warfare with even AAP MLA Alka Lamba walking out of the House when the resolution was tabled. There were reports that Lamba was asked to resign from the party as she was not in favour of the resolution. However, later, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said that all such reports are false and the party has not asked Lamba to resign. “No resignation has been sought and from no one, all these are rumours,” Sisodia told reporters. The resolution was moved by the AAP MLA from Tilak Nagar Jarnail Singh who demanded justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Interestingly, the last line read out by Singh was not part of the resolution that was circulated among members. Later it was AAP’s Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti who referred to Rajiv Gandhi in his speech and demanded that the Bharat Ratna be withdrawn. Even AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj had on Friday claimed that the resolution did not contain the part on former PM. “Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti added the line on his own. It was his demand,” he had said. Lately, there have been several instances where Kejriwal has shared stages with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and have also exchanged pleasantries. Kejriwal has been in constant conversation with various Opposition leaders including Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to build an anti-BJP bloc before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.