In a widening of fissures between the Congress and the AAP, allies at the Central level as part of the INDIA bloc, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is its opponent in Delhi and is harbouring a misconception that it will win again in the upcoming Assembly elections. In a swift, stinging response, Mr Kejriwal said Mr Gehlot’s remarks have laid bare the “secret cooperation” between the Congress and the BJP for the Delhi polls. 

The public spat between the senior leaders of the INDIA allies comes days after the AAP said it would ask other members to remove the Congress from the opposition bloc unless one of its leaders, Ajay Maken, apologised for calling Arvind Kejriwal “anti-national”. Even then, the AAP had said that the Congress was doing everything it could to ensure that it helped the BJP in the Delhi elections.

Answering a question on Wednesday, Ashok Gehlot, who is a former Rajasthan Chief Minister, said in Hindi, “They (the AAP) are our opposition. They are harbouring a misconception since they won twice (in Delhi)… the voters’ mood seems to have changed now. The Congress is campaigning well and we may see good results this time.”

Sharing a clip of Mr Gehlot’s remarks on X, Mr Kejriwal said the Congress leader’s comments have proven what the people already believed. 

“Gehlot ji, you made it clear that the Congress sees the AAP as the opposition in Delhi. You remained silent on the BJP. People also felt that the AAP is the opposition for the Congress and the BJP is its partner. People also believed that the BJP and the Congress are fighting the elections together against the AAP. So far, this cooperation between you two was a secret. Today, you have made it public. Thank you, on behalf of the people of Delhi, for this clarification,” the former Delhi chief minister wrote in Hindi. 

Support From Allies

Earlier on Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress – another key INDIA ally – threw its weight behind the AAP for the Delhi polls, following in the footsteps of the Samajwadi Party, which had reportedly done so a day earlier. 

Thanking the Trinamool Congress and its President Mamata Banerjee for the support, Mr Kejriwal said he was “personally grateful”.

“TMC has announced support to AAP in Delhi elections. I am personally grateful to Mamta Didi. Thank you Didi. U have always supported and blessed us in our good and bad times (sic),” he wrote on X. 

Senior Trinamool Congress MP and the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, responded almost immediately, saying, “We have your back @AamAadmiParty.” 

Mr Kejriwal had also expressed gratitude to INDIA ally Samajwadi Party on Tuesday after its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, reportedly said he would support the AAP. 

“Thank you very much Akhilesh ji. You always support and stand with us. I and the people of Delhi are grateful for this,” he wrote on Tuesday.

The Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress had backed the AAP during the 2020 elections as well. 

Delhi will vote on February 5 and counting of votes will be held on February 8.

A body was recovered and eight people are still trapped after water gushed into a 340-foot deep ‘rat-hole’ mine in Assam and flooded it on Monday. While several teams, including one from the Navy, are engaged in rescue operations, officials have said that the chances of the remaining miners being rescued alive are slim.

Some people who were in the mines managed to escape and some others were fortunate not to be working the shift during which the flooding occurred, but they are all desperate for any news because they have friends trapped in the mine.

H Islam said he arrived in Umrangso to work in the Assam Coal Quarry situated in the 3 Kilo area last week and was working his first shift on Monday when the flooding occurred. He recounted hearing a gush of water and people shouting for help. He said he had practically no safety gear and got lucky because a stream of water carried him to the surface. 

“We started work around 6.30 am and, an hour later, I heard people shouting. I called out to one of the people I know, whom I call ‘Mama‘ and told him, ‘Mama, there’s water. run quickly if you want to live’. I managed to make it halfway out when the force of the water knocked me down. The rope and cloth around my head fell… We had no helmets, just a cloth… I figured that the flowing water would take me out to the surface and I lay down, and that’s exactly what happened. I got saved,” the survivor said.

Another worker, Jalaluddin, interjected and said no safety gear is provided to them. He said he was not working the shift that day but four of the 10 people he shares a room with did. Only one of them has come back.

Asked about conditions in the mine, he said, “It is 300 feet deep and then there are many tunnels, which are linked to each other. The height in the tunnels is barely three feet, there is no room to even stand, and we have to bend and mine for coal. Even when sitting, the roof is just 4-5 inches above our heads.”

Divers On The Job

The Ministry of Defence said the Navy team that is involved in the rescue operation includes clearance divers trained in deep-depth diving and recovery operations.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said more de-watering pumps are being sent to the site. 

“The rescue operation is in full swing with Army and NDRF divers having already entered the well. Navy personnel are on-site, making final preparations to dive in after them. Meanwhile, State Disaster Rescue Force (SDRF) de-watering pumps have departed from Umrangshu for the location. Additionally, the ONGC de-watering pump has been loaded onto an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram, awaiting weather clearance for deployment,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

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