AAP candidate from South Delhi Sahi Ram.
Credit: X/@SahiramPahalwan
New Delhi: There is no conflict of interest between the workers of the Congress and the AAP and they would work together to ensure that the INDIA bloc nominees win all seven parliamentary seats in the national capital, AAP candidate from South Delhi Sahi Ram has said.
Under a seat-sharing agreement, the AAP is contesting four of the seven Lok Sabha seats -- South Delhi, East Delhi, West Delhi and New Delhi -- while the Congress is contesting from North East, North West and Chandni Chowk constituencies. The city will go to polls on May 25.
In an Interview with PTI, Sahi Ram, the Tughlaqabad MLA who has been fielded for the first time in Lok Sabha polls, rejected the claims of the opposition camp that the voters and workers of the AAP and the Congress were not going to support each other.
"This is a misconception," the 64-year-old leader, popularly known as Sahi Ram Pehalwan, said.
"I want to ask the BJP leaders who may be thinking that the AAP workers will not vote for the Congress and those of the Congress will not vote for the AAP... whether they (Congress-AAP supporters) will vote for the BJP," he said.
The identity of the Aam Aadmi Party is Arvind Kejriwal, and that of the Congress is Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, he said.
"I do not think that the workers of the two parties will deviate from the direction given by their top leadership," he said.
The alliance between the Congress and the AAP is the need of the hour, said the time MLA from Tughlaqabad Assembly constituency under South Delhi Parliamentary constituency.
"You will be branded a traitor and sent to jail if you talk about inflation and unemployment. Why aren't they talking about farmers and soldiers? It's a matter of grave concern for the country," Sahi Ram said, referring to the BJP.
"The Agnipath scheme was introduced but there is no pension for soldiers when they retire after four years. Has anyone thought about their future," he said.
Asserting there was 'great resentment' among the people of Delhi over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sahi Ram said 'it would've been much better' for the party if he was not in jail.
"At a time when he should be among the people, he has been put in jail. People are raising the slogan (Jail ka jawab vote se) because they were happy with the work done by Kejriwal in the last nine years. Now, they are livid," he said.
The AAP candidate said the people of Delhi want the chief minister's wife -- Sunita Kejriwal -- to campaign for the party.
"For the people of Delhi, Kejriwal is like a son and a brother. So, they want his wife to be in the field," he said, referring to a roadshow held by Sunita Kejriwal in South Delhi recently.
"They (BJP) have been after him for the last two-and-a-half-years. They conducted many raids but nothing was found. The people are asking if indeed any corruption was done, it should be proved in the courts. But they (BJP) have nothing to show," Sahi Ram said.
The AAP candidate said his first three priorities after winning the polls would be to build a big hospital, schools and a sports stadium in south Delhi.
"I will build a big hospital in South Delhi after arranging land through Centre or the DDA. If the DDA does not do it, the Delhi government's funds will be utilised. A lot has been done in the field of education, but there is a need to do more. We will build schools after getting land from the DDA," he said.
He said the youth, especially athletes, want a stadium in South Delhi to prepare for national and international sporting events and he would fulfil this demand.