BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Monday conceded that the Aam Aadmi Party proved a formidable opponent to his party in Delhi but said it would not be able to form government even if the Congress supported it.
“The Congress can give the AAP outside support in order to form a government. In power, such a party would be like a fish out of water…,” the BJP Leader of the Opposition said in a post on Facebook.
The BJP leader attributed the stunning performance of the new party — it won 28 of the 70 Assembly seats — to a “shift even in middle class localities to the AAP. The Congress was no longer a serious option in Delhi. Residents of Delhi were considering which of the two alternatives to vote for — the BJP or the AAP.”
Mr Jaitley’s remarks were in a sharp contrast with his earlier dismissal of the debutant. In November, he referred to the AAP as a “symbol of political cynicism” and “media creation.”
“It’s unconventional”
“Is the AAP merely a freak phenomenon? Or is it going to be a lasting experiment? The last word on this cannot be said at this moment. This party is unconventional. It has attempted to exploit the general mood of cynicism. It has made unrealistic promises and does not want to sit in a position of responsibility where it has to walk its talk. The very suggestion of being in government to implement its policy and promises appears to be scary for this party.”
Mr. Jaitley said that even with outside Congress support to the AAP, there was little chance of the alliance working. “In a democracy, the voters vote in order to elect the government. When there are no clear majorities, the government formation is an art of the possible. ... It is possible to make exaggerated promises and capture the imagination of a few by making unimplementable promises. The strategy of the party is to avoid power rather than be in a position to implement the unimplementable.”
