AAP still open to alliance with Congress in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh: Sisodia
New Delhi: AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Saturday said his party is still ready to form an alliance with the Congress in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh but it would not agree for a tie-up just in the national capital.
He said the priority of the Aam Aadmi Party is to stop the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo which, he said, is proving to become very "dangerous" for the country.
"We wanted to form a united opposition against the BJP and were ready to ignore our differences because right now the priority is to stop the dangerous Modi-Shah duo," he said.
"In last one week, meetings were held between the AAP and the Congress and we proposed alliance on 33 seats in Delhi, Goa, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab seats, out of them 23 seats is with NDA.
He said a tie-up between the two parties could have caused a "damage" to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the 23 seats.
"But the Congress purposely wasted time to take a decision on alliance and now it says it can tie up with the AAP only in Delhi. Forming an alliance in Delhi alone would not solve the problem," he said.
"We still saying that an alliance can be formed (with Congress) in Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh if they are ready then we are ready too but alliance cannot be done alone in Delhi," he added.
The uncertainty over alliance between the AAP and the Congress has been continuing for weeks now. The talks between the two sides derailed after they failed to reach an agreement over seat-sharing in Delhi and Haryana.
Congress' in-charge for Delhi P C Chacko on Friday said Congress will go alone in Delhi since the AAP has taken an "impractical stand".
He, however said,"We are still ready (for alliance) if AAP is willing to have an alliance in Delhi alone. We want to fight the BJP together."
"We are compelled to go on our own as the AAP is going back on its stand," Chacko told reporters.
AAP's Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh, who was holding alliance talks with the Congress, said, "Our sincerity to stop the BJP in Haryana is reflected by the fact that we became a junior partner to a four-month-old party (JJP) and agreed to contest only less than half of the seats in the state."
Singh said the AAP was eager for an alliance with the Congress in Haryana so that the BJP could be defeated on all the 10 seats.
"That's why we were prepared to give Congress three seats in Delhi. But they refused an alliance," he said.
Singh exuded confidence that the AAP will win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi on its own.
However, sources said the AAP in a last-ditch attempt may offer a 5-2 seat sharing formula to the Congress in Delhi.
Earlier, the AAP was ready to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi but now it might consider giving it just two seats, the sources added.
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Min. Priyank Kharge to expresses concern over implementation of VB-G Ram G
Bengaluru: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the proposed VB-G Ram G scheme, stating that the MNREGA programme, which has been a lifeline for rural India for nearly two decades, appears to be facing an uncertain future.
Speaking to media, Kharge said that as March 31 draws to a close, there is no clarity on the rollout of the new scheme from April 1. He pointed out that the central government has not yet issued the necessary guidelines for implementing the scheme for rural workers and villages.
He criticised the Centre for its lack of preparedness, stating that there is no clarity on fund allocation, no final parameters for classifying gram panchayats, and key processes such as social audits have not been defined.
Kharge said the situation comes at a critical time, as summer marks a peak period for rural employment demand, when many people depend heavily on wage employment for their livelihood.
He added that reports have emerged of delays in approvals and families not receiving work despite demand.
He further alleged that the Centre’s move to shift from a statutory employment guarantee to a rule-based allocation system is already showing negative consequences.
Kharge also raised concerns over provisions such as a mandatory 60-day halt during agricultural seasons, which he said would further limit employment opportunities for rural workers.
The BJP-led central government had claimed that the new scheme would transform rural India, but in reality it is turning out to be detrimental to people’s livelihoods, he said.
“The crisis in rural India due to the stalling of MNREGA is beginning to unfold. Given the Centre’s past record in handling such situations, there is growing concern over the impact on rural livelihoods,” Kharge said.
