The newly appointed core group of the Delhi Congress met for the first time here on Friday with veteran party leader Sheila Dikshit and her three deputies taking stock of the party’s current situation in the Capital.
They discussed the modalities related to a ceremony where they will officially assume charge of their respective posts next week. Ms. Dikshit and the three working presidents — Haroon Yusuf, Rajesh Lilothia and Devender Yadav — chosen to assist her by the party’s national president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, will officially take charge at a ceremony to be held at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office on January 16. Both Mr. Lilothia and Mr. Yusuf said Friday’s deliberations revolved around preparations for the ceremony on January 16 where representatives from the party’s national leadership “may be present”. “We mainly assessed the situation on the ground in relation to the party and discussed preparations for the taking-over ceremony on January 16,” Mr. Yusuf told The Hindu .
Asked whether a proposed alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi came up for discussion on Friday, Mr. Yusuf said nothing related to the party’s electoral strategy had been discussed. “This was just the first meeting and was more of an assessment exercise. Formal discussions related to strategy can only be expected once we formally assume charge,” he said.
Mr. Lilothia, while concurring with Mr. Yusuf, added that while the proposed alliance did not come up for discussion, the party was “yet to receive any proposal” for such an alliance from the AAP “which wants it.”
“The AAP is seeking an alliance with the party and not the other way around,” Mr. Lilothia told The Hindu.
“There has been no proposal from the AAP for such an alliance. If it [the proposal] is received, it will not be the Delhi unit’s decision to make but that of the national leadership which will take a call and convey its decision to the Delhi unit to follow,” he added.
