New Delhi:
Top leaders of
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party or AAP say they are entering into an alliance with the Congress with their eyes open to the possibility that the government might not "survive for long."
"Given the past track record of the Congress party, I don't expect that our government will survive for long... one month, four months or six months, it is to be seen," said AAP leader Prashant Bhushan, soon after party chief Arvind Kejriwal met Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Nadeem Jung to stake claim to form government in Delhi. (
Read: Not me, aam aadmi is the Chief Minister, says Arvind Kejriwal)
Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister will preside over a minority government. His AAP has 28 seats in the Delhi Assembly, eight short of a majority and the Congress has offered the external support of its eight legislators to help it bridge the deficit. Today, the Congress's Sheila Dikshit said this support was "not unconditional" and would "depend on AAP's performance." (
Watch)
Both Mr Bhushan and another senior AAP leader Shazia Ilmi made clear that AAP will not accept any of the Congress's conditions and will implement its own agenda and fulfill its election promises. "We are committed to them. We have worked on them and they aren't empty hollow promises," Ms Ilmi told NDTV, adding, "the people of Delhi will trust us if they see our vision."
Ms Ilmi, who lost her election narrowly in RK Puram, admitted that government formation in Delhi was a daunting task as the alliance "could be unstable" and said the party was ready for all eventualities, including fresh elections.
"If the Congress is seen pulling the rug from under our feet on something silly, they stand exposed," she said.
The one-year-old Aam Aadmi Party made a dazzling debut riding on the promise that it will rid Delhi of corruption. The Congress and the BJP say many of its election promises are unrealistic and unimplementable.