Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged the Congress and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) to join hands with the AAP in Haryana to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Speaking to the media, Kejriwal said that if formed, the alliance can defeat the BJP on all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.
"Let's come together in Haryana to defeat the BJP," Kejriwal said.
However, within minutes after Kejriwal's comments, the JJP issued a strong-worded statement, saying it can "never have any truck" with the Congress.
"The JJP has been formed on the ideology of late Choudhary Devi Lal who has always fought against Congress so JJP will never enter into any alliance with the Congress and will not be part of any alliance which includes Congress," JJP's national general secretary KC Bangar said.
The JJP can enter into an alliance with only like-minded parties whereas the ideology of Congress does not match with its views, he said.
However, Bangar said the party is strengthening its organisation in all 10 Lok Sabha and 90 assembly seats.
"It is capable of fighting elections in all these seats," he said.
On Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi ruled out any alliance with AAP in Delhi and asked his party workers in the capital to win all seven Lok Sabha seats following which Kejriwal said his party would win all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi "on its own".
The JJP, which was formed in December after a split in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), performed well in the Jind assembly seat by-election last month. The AAP had supported the JJP candidate then.
The BJP won seven Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 parliamentary elections. The INLD won two seats and the Congress bagged on seat.
Haryana has a BJP government since October 2014 led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
(With inputs from agencies)
