Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab urged party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi not to give in to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s request for Congress support in Parliament against the Centre’s ordinance on services of the Delhi government.

Their pitch came within days after Kejriwal sought a meeting with Kharge and Gandhi to seek Congress support against the ordinance in Parliament. These leaders also told the AICC brass not to entertain any thoughts of aligning with AAP for the sake of opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Delhi and Punjab Congress leaders argued that AAP was working as the “B team” of BJP with the aim of weakening Congress from state to state, according to people aware of the matter. Punjab Congress leaders said AAP regime in the state was trying to crack down on Congress leaders. They expressed reservations on the conduct of AAP government in the border state. Delhi Congress leaders argued all previous CMs of Delhi worked with the same central control.