Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has defended AAP's alliance with the INDIA bloc, despite his past allegations of corruption against several opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, and Lalu Prasad Yadav. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), founded on an anti-corruption platform, emerged from Kejriwal's high-profile campaign against the Congress and regional stalwarts like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Pawar.
When questioned about his stance equating the BJP and Congress as "cut from the same cloth," and whether joining the INDIA alliance contradicts that position, Kejriwal cited "political compulsions" as the driving factor. "At the national level, we are not a big factor today. So, due to political compulsions at the national level, you have to be part of an alliance to contest elections on a national scale," Kejriwal said during an interview on PG Radio with Prakhar Gupta. He clarified that AAP continues to contest elections independently in Delhi and Punjab.
Addressing his early political battle against former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Kejriwal stated, "It was a fight against corruption, not against any individual or party. Our fight against corruption will continue. But at the national level, the Aam Aadmi Party, which is limited to only two states, cannot make a big impact nationally. That is the reason why you have to become part of an alliance."
When asked why AAP chose the INDIA bloc over aligning with the BJP, Kejriwal responded, "Because I don’t think today’s BJP is good. The way they are communal, toxic, violent, abusive, and engage in hooliganism — I don’t like that party. The entire party has become like that. You have to choose one of the two. They (Congress) are secular. At the national level today, if you look at both alliances, I believe the INDIA Alliance appears better."
In January 2014, as Delhi Chief Minister, Kejriwal released a list of the "most corrupt politicians" in the country, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde, and Kapil Sibal, as well as regional heavyweights like Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Farooq Abdullah.
Ironically, many of those same leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, and Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, are now Kejriwal's allies in the INDIA bloc.
Despite their alliance, tensions between Congress and AAP persist. Leaders from both parties have traded barbs, accusing each other of corruption and inefficiency, with allegations of collusion with the BJP further straining relations.