What Prompted Rahul Gandhi To Attack INDIA Partner Kejriwal Directly Amid Delhi Polls? Ajay Maken Responds
Delhi Election 2025: Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken justifies Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the AAP government, dismissing accusations of personal attacks against Kejriwal.

Delhi Election 2025: With Rahul Gandhi intensifying his criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has justified the attacks, stating that they are based on public issues and corruption allegations against AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Maken, who is an MP and AICC treasurer, asserted that the Congress has sharpened its criticism following the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which he said explains “how this corruption took place.”
The open confrontation between Congress and AAP leaders has raised eyebrows, given that both parties are members of the INDIA bloc and had fought the Lok Sabha elections together in Delhi and Haryana last year. However, Maken dismissed suggestions that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against Kejriwal were personal attacks.
"Why do you call it a personalised attack? We've been talking about issues. We've been talking about various issues pertaining to the public, so it's not a personal attack. When we talk about corruption, you may say it is a personal attack on Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia because they were involved in corruption. The Supreme Court also, while giving bail to Kejriwal, has not exonerated him," Maken said.
#WATCH | Delhi | On being asked why did Rahul Gandhi choose now to attack Arvind Kejriwal? Why did he wait all these months, Congress leader Ajay Maken says, "Why do you call it a personalized attack? We've been talking about issues. We've been talking about various issues… pic.twitter.com/vs4U2GZ2Lm
— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2025
Delhi Election 2025: Congress Reached Out To Kejriwal For Alliance, Ajay Maken Says
Maken blamed AAP for ruling out any alliance talks, stating that Kejriwal and AAP leader Gopal Rai had unilaterally announced that the party would contest all 70 seats in Delhi.
He further recalled how Rahul Gandhi did not attack the Delhi Government over corruption in his Seelampur rally, but Arvind Kejriwal went ahead to remark that Rahul was fighting to save his party while the AAP chief was fighting to save the country. “Today Rahul Gandhi came to Delhi. He abused me a lot. But I will not comment on his statements. His fight is to save Congress, my fight is to save the country,” Kejriwal wrote on X.
#WATCH | Delhi | On rift in AAP and Congress alliance, Congress leader Ajay Maken says, "There are two more reasons other than the CAG report. During the Haryana Assembly elections, a discussion was going on with Kejriwal and his party over seat sharing...We offered four seats… pic.twitter.com/AtmOrhx078
— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2025
According to Maken, the Congress reached out to the AAP for a pre-poll alliance. "We asked everyone to either support us or be neutral. We reached out to Kejriwal for an alliance, but he declined. In Haryana, we were discussing seats but Kejriwal walks out of jail on bail and he says AAP will fight on all 90 seats," he remarked.
The Congress leader pointed out that the Supreme Court had placed restrictions on Kejriwal after granting him bail, preventing him from entering the Secretariat, calling officers, or signing files. "This means the Supreme Court also prima facie believes that something wrong has happened. So, it's not a personal attack. Imagine a party which was formed to curb corruption, to bring in the Lokpal Bill, and its leaders are caught taking bribes and spending corruption money on elections. This is very strange, and this is what we are talking about," he told ANI.
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Maken also took a swipe at Kejriwal over the ‘Sheeshmahal’ controversy, linking it to the CAG report’s findings on the liquor policy case. "There is something new which has happened, and that something new is the CAG report which has just come out, which they were sitting upon. So the CAG report clearly explains how this corruption took place. It explains about the 'Sheeshmahal'. It explains about the liquor scam. This is something which has just happened now and has opened eyes for everyone," he said.
The Congress leader noted that AAP had used CAG reports to attack the party when it was in power in 2012-13. "Now, when the CAG report indicates wrongdoings of the AAP government, we have every right to criticise the government," he added.
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Delhi Election 2025: Rahul Gandhi's Direct Jabs At Arvind Kejriwal
Rahul Gandhi has ramped up his attacks on Kejriwal, questioning his governance on multiple fronts, including the liquor policy and pollution in the Yamuna river. "Arvind Kejriwal said that he would bring a new political system, finish corruption... He also promised that he would clean the Yamuna within five years and take a dip in it, but it is still dirty. I would ask him to drink it; we will meet in the hospital after that," he remarked at a rally in Delhi.
Gandhi also criticised AAP’s leadership composition, alleging that it lacks representation from Dalit, OBC, and Muslim communities. "Earlier, Arvind Kejriwal used to roam around in the city in a small car, climb electric poles... He said that he would bring clean politics. After that, the biggest scam in Delhi—the liquor scam worth crores of rupees—was done by his party, his people. He has run a corporate government," he alleged.
The Congress leader also accused Kejriwal of failing to address unemployment. "He keeps giving speeches, he keeps saying that he is honest, he gives certificates to himself instead of asking people. Who does this?" he said.
Congress has intensified its campaign in Delhi, with Priyanka Gandhi also joining the party’s efforts. The party has fielded key candidates against Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi.
Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years, is seeking to regain lost ground in the upcoming elections. The voting for the Delhi Assembly elections will take place on February 5, with counting scheduled for February 8.
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