Kejriwal at wheel, Cong has brakes

AFTER STUNNING DEBUT, AAP SET TO FORM DELHI GOVT. BUT BUMPY RIDE AHEAD

Support Not Unconditional, Says Dikshit

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) looks set for an exciting yet uncertain debut in government as rumbles surfaced in the Congress with former chief minister Sheila Dikshit asserting that support to the newbie was not unconditional and the party deciding to seek a roadmap on the AAP's programmes. 
    Dikshit's move on Monday to seek a meeting of party MLAs at her residence and slogans raised by a group of Congressmen against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal at the DPCC headquarters indicate the hurdles and contradictions that AAP and its outside supporter face. 
    Though new DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely quickly dismissed talk of a rethink of support despite the protests, sources said the party does intend to seek some clarifications from the AAP on its plans for the capital. 
    While he ruled out withdrawing support, Lovely did make an important observation, saying, "On the future course of action, I will be meeting elected MLAs on Tuesday and then we will decide if we should seek a roadmap from AAP. After all, we are giving it support." 
WHAT KEJRIWAL SAID THEN 
I am a common man and I neither aspire to be the PM nor the CM...Who am I (to eye these posts)? — ON DEC 8, AFTER DELHI POLL RESULTS I swear on my children, we will neither ally with BJP nor Congress 
— ON SEPT 28, 2013 
    AND NOW 
I just met the Lt Governor and told him that people here want AAP to form govt in Delhi AAP's hypocrisy will be exposed soon: Cong leader 
    When contacted, Dikshit denied that the meeting at her residence with MLAs was to review support to AAP. She said she didn't know about the protests either, but would talk to party workers on Tuesday to find out the reason for their unhappiness. 
    All this happened within hours of Kejriwal meeting Lt-Governor Najib Jung to stake claim for forming the government with Congress support. The Congress has clearly been put in a corner. If it now declines to lend support to AAP, it will attract popular anger, but if it does not, an AAP government could steal a bigger march over it. 
    AAP clearly sees heading the Delhi government as an opportunity. It knows whatever it does will attract a lot of attention, and apart from the symbolism of shunning red-beacon cars, security and other trappings of office, if it can also take some steps that are seen as different yet effective governance, it can amplify its appeal in the upcoming LS polls. 
    A senior Congress leader told TOI that support to AAP can't be withdrawn right now, although he added that the new party's "hypocrisy" will soon be exposed. On its part, AAP seems seized of the fact that it has fired national imagination about it representing an alternative political culture to Congress and BJP. 
    Congress may not keep up its support if AAP, which has positioned itself as a crusader against corruption, starts to review contracts given by the outgoing government and targets Congress leaders. At the same time, it can ill-afford any perception that it brought down a popular government to shield the "corrupt" among its ranks. 
    Congress could seek some form or regular consultation and an inkling of the priorities the new AAP government led by Kejriwal is likely to consider in the months ahead. The issue is quite critical in political terms as the election is fast approaching. As both sides regard each other warily as partners, expectations are being pitched cautiously with AAP leader Prashant Bhushan pointing to Congress's poor record in offering outside support and speaking of a two-to-six month tenure for the new government. 
    Congress leaders said offering outside support had been endorsed by all leaders, including Dikshit, and it would be political harakiri to reconsider the decision at short notice as it could boost AAP and hurt Congress's credibility. 
    Despite all the misgivings over supporting an outfit that it still regards as a maverick and one that has been unsparing in its attack on the Congress for corruption, party bosses did not see fresh elections until the Lok Sabha polls — due in April-May — are concluded. In fact, Dikshit had also struck a cautious note on Monday evening, saying, "We will stick to our stand of giving support to AAP. There was a meeting at my place after Kejriwal met the LG. Our stand of giving them support remains the same. Yes there was certainly a protest outside DPCC. We will evaluate workers' complaints tomorrow." 
    For the full report, log on to www.timesofindia.com 

TOP: Arvind Kejriwal with his parents sitting at the back of the car 
BOTTOM: Kejriwal with wife Sunita, son Pulkit & daughter Harshita