Hours after resigning from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Chandni Chowk lawmaker Alka Lamba on Friday joined the Congress party. “It’s my ‘Ghar Wapasi’,” she said after joining the grand old party.
It should be noted that on September 3, Lamba hand met Sonia Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi. The meeting has fuelled speculations that the Chandni Chowk MLA is likely joining Congress ahead of Delhi Assembly Elections.
“The time has come to say "Good Bye" to #AAP and to resign from the primary membership of the Party. The past 6years journey was a great learning for me. Thanks to all. #ChandniChowk #MLA #AlkaLamba #Delhi #JaiHind (sic),” Lamba had said on micro-blogging site while announcing her decision.
Lamba has been at odds with the Aam Aadmi Party for some time. After the party's defeat in Lok Sabha polls, she had sought accountability from AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal following which she was removed from the official WhatsApp group of the party lawmakers.
Lamba had also refused to campaign for the party in the Lok Sabha polls and even refrained from participating in Kejriwal's roadshow after she was asked to walk behind his car during the event.
She had claimed that she was being ‘disrespected’ by the party on several occasion. "I am not called to meetings. I am insulted repeatedly. I spent 20 years in the Congress and even there I struggled with family politics but in the AAP, I do not get the basic respect," she claimed.
"I have made up my mind to quit the party and will make an official announcement on August 4 if I would contest independently or not," she said.
In April, Lamba engaged in a bitter Twitter spat with AAP's Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, who had taunted her to resign from the party.
Following the spat, Lamba addressed a large crowd outside Jama Masjid and said the party was repeatedly demanding her resignation. Alka Lamba won the Chandni Chowk assembly seat for the first time in 2013. Before joining Kejriwal, Lamba was part of the Congress women wing.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Alka Lamba has been at loggerheads with AAP leadership for quite sometime now.
- Lamba had even refused to campaign for AAP in the Lok Sabha polls.
- She had claimed she was being ‘disrespected’ by AAP on many occasion.