New Delhi: Sheila Dikshit, the three-time Delhi chief minister who was pushed out of city politics after Congress’s huge defeat over four years ago, took over as the party’s Delhi unit chief on Wednesday in presence of a large gathering of workers and senior leaders.
In one of her first comments after officially taking over the post from her predecessor Ajay Maken, the 80-year-old said there was “no talk of any alliances with the Aam Aadmi Party yet” and indicated her objection to a tie-up because the party had spoken poorly about former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
"The way they talked about Rajiv Gandhi in the assembly... we were hurt by it and it was not right," she said, referring to the resolution passed by the Delhi Assembly to demand that Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna be withdrawn.
Maken’s replacement with Dikshit as the Delhi unit chief had sparked speculation in political corridors in the capital of a possible tie-up between Congress and AAP to take on the BJP, but Dikshit put AAP and BJP in the same bracket on Wednesday.
“BJP and AAP both are a challenge; we will meet the challenges together,” she told news agency ANI.
But she added that the Congress will strategise to meet the challenge ahead and any decision on alliances will be taken by the party high command.
“The Congress high command led by Rahul Gandhi will decide the profit and loss of the alliance and mahagathbandhan, we will follow whatever will be the decision of high command," she said, leaving the possibility of a pact with AAP open.
While not sounding too enthusiastic, Dikshit’s stance is still much softer than the vociferous approach adopted by Maken against the alliance.
Meanwhile, her swearing in as the party’s state chief was marred as controversy erupted over the presence of Jagdish Tytler, an accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, at the event at Rajiv Bhawan.
Three new working presidents - Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia - also took charge along with Dikshit.
The enthused workers greeted the former Delhi chief minister as she reached the office at DDU Marg with slogans and drum beats. Chants like "Sheila Dikshit Ayi Hai, Badlaw Ki Andhi Layi Hai" "(Sheila Dikshit has come with a storm of change) were heard.
With Dikshit at the helm of affairs, the party is looking to revive its fortunes in the national capital after a series of poll debacles starting with losing of power in 2013.
Dikshit said she will take the party to new heights in Delhi where it will replace all and sought help of ground-level workers. She also said the Congress will make full efforts to win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.
Senior Congress leaders Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Meira Kumar, PC Chacko, Sandip Dikshit and Ajay Maken were among those present as Dikshit took charge.
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