BIG COMMENT/ Arvinder Singh Lovely Reaffirms He is ‘Not Joining Any Party’

New Delhi: Senior leader Arvinder Singh Lovely announced his resignation from the post of Delhi Congress chief on Sunday. Citing the alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as one of the reasons, Lovely clarified that his resignation does not imply leaving the party altogether, but rather stepping down from his leadership role. Addressing the media following his resignation, Lovely expressed gratitude to Congress workers and senior leaders for their support. He emphasized that his decision stemmed from principles and concerns voiced by Congress workers, rather than a lack of electoral ticket.

"The reason for the resignation is not because I didn't get the ticket... This was because of the principles," Lovely stated, underlining the significance of his decision in the context of party values.

Despite his resignation from the Delhi unit chief position, Lovely affirmed that he has no intention of joining any other political party. 

“I have resigned from the post of President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee. I have not resigned from Congress. I will continue to meet with party workers. My resignation is not for myself but for the Congress workers,” he said. 

Arvinder Singh Lovely’s resignation comes shortly after the resignation of former Delhi minister and AICC member Rajkumar Chauhan following a disagreement with Babria.

The resignation comes at a crucial juncture for the Congress party, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. 

Arvinder Singh Lovely felt ‘handicapped’: Reads resignation letter 

In his resignation letter addressed to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Arvinder Singh Lovely expressed feeling "handicapped" as all unanimous decisions taken by senior Delhi unit leaders have been “unilaterally vetoed” by AICC Delhi in-charge Deepak Babria. 

Lovely conveyed his decision with a “heavy heart”, citing his inability to “protect the interests of party workers” as the reason for stepping down from the position of DPCC President. 

Despite his initial support for the alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Lovely emphasized his inability to safeguard the concerns of party workers, prompting his resignation.

Highlighting his commitment to party interests, Lovely withdrew his name as a potential candidate for the Lok Sabha polls to prioritize other senior leaders' chances of securing tickets. 

Arvinder Singh Lovely’s jibe at Kanhaiya Kumar, says ‘contrasting with party’s stance’ 

He also criticized Congress North East Delhi candidate Kanhaiya Kumar for praising Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, contrasting with the party's stance and the beliefs of local party workers.

“The candidate from North East Delhi has also been giving media bytes falsely praising the Delhi CM, in direct contravention of the party line and the local party workers’ beliefs. In direct contradiction to the true factual position and the misery of Delhi Citizens, he endorsed the false propaganda of AAP in regard to the supposed works done by them in education, health, road and electricity sectors,” he said.

Lovely asserted that the alliance with AAP was a "compromise" aimed at bolstering Congress's prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Who is Arvinder Singh Lovely? 

Arvinder Singh Lovely, a minister in the Sheila Dikshit government, assumed the role of Delhi Congress chief in August last year. 

First elected as MLA in 1998 from Gandhi Nagar, Lovely served as the minister of transport, education, urban development and revenue in the Congress government in Delhi.

Lovely also highlighted instances of alleged interference by AICC in-charge Deepak Babria, including the forced suspension of senior party leader Raj Kumar Chauhan.