The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday said it would seek the removal of the Congress from the Opposition INDIA bloc if action is not taken against the Congress’ Delhi leader Ajay Maken for allegedly calling former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal “anti-national”.

At a press conference, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh demanded that the Congress leadership act against Maken within 24 hours.

Chief Minister Atishi accused the Congress of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, which are expected to take place in or before February.

While the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress are part of the INDIA bloc at the national level, they are contesting the Assembly polls separately.

“Yesterday, Congress’ senior leader Ajay Maken said that [AAP chief] Arvind Kejriwal is anti-national,” Atishi said. “I want to ask the Congress party if they have ever levelled the same allegations against any BJP leader. No. But today, Congress is accusing Arvind Kejriwal of being anti-national.”

Atishi asked why the Congress had filed a first information report against her and Kejriwal on Wednesday, accusing them of misleading the public with promises of welfare schemes.

“Has Congress filed any FIR against any BJP leader ever?” she asked, adding that the Congress must act against Maken if it had “no understanding” with the BJP.

Atishi further asked the Congress why it had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party if it considered it to be “anti-national”.

On Wednesday, Maken had reportedly called Kejriwal “anti-national” in context of the Aam Aadmi Party’s public stance on issues such as the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed Uniform Civil Code, The Indian Express reported.

Maken also said that the Congress ha made a “mistake” by allying with the Aam Aadmi Party in the general election, The Hindu reported.

“I feel that today the current plight of Delhi, as well as that of the Congress, is due to our support to AAP in 2013,” the Congress leader added. “It was perhaps a mistake that was made again in this year’s Lok Sabha polls.”

The INDIA bloc had lost all seven seats in the national capital to the BJP in the general election.

Maken made the comments as the Congress released a “white paper” highlighting the allegedly unfulfilled promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital and the BJP-led Union government over the past 10 years.

Congress candidates getting funds from BJP, alleges Atishi

On Thursday, Atishi also alleged that Congress leaders had reached an understanding with the BJP to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi polls.

Atishi claimed that her party had been informed by “credible sources” that the Congress’ poll candidates in Delhi were receiving funds from the BJP.

“We have come to know that [Congress leader] Sandeep Dikshit is getting funds from BJP,” she alleged. “We have come to know that Farhad Suri, who is fighting from Jangpura, is getting crores of rupees from the BJP.”

The Congress has fielded Sandeep Dikshit, the son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, against Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency. Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia is contesting the polls from the Jangpura constituency.