Sheila Dikshit a burden on Congress, says Arvinder Lovely

Less than 24 hours after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, former Delhi Congres chief Arvinder Singh Lovely on Wednesday hit out at his one-time mentor and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, dubbing her as a "burden" on the Congress.

Lovely had expressed joy after entering BJP, promising to work hard to strengthen the party. Besides Lovely, Delhi Youth Congress president Amit Malik and Delhi Congress vice-president Sukhbeer Sharma were among 10 other leaders who joined BJP on Tuesday, in the presence of BJP national president Amit Shah.

Shiela Dikshit had termed the development as "betrayal" by Lovely, who retorted by saying that he chose to be a "traitor" by joining BJP which fights for the cause of soldiers, instead of being a burden on the Congress like Dikshit.

"Sheila is completely dissociated from the Congress campaign for MCD polls and has turned out to be a burden, while I chose to join the BJP that has been holding soldiers' interests high," Lovely said at a press conference.

He also hit out at Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, alleging that he loved "comfort" over hard work. "Delhi BJP president Manoj

Tiwari spends nights in slums, whereas Maken campaigns in Lodhi Garden so that he could quickly go back home. He should give a thought to what he is doing," he said.

Lovely also rubbished chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala's comment that he is an "opportunist", and said he joined the BJP because of his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

"The BJP is giving a new direction to the country and evolving a new definition of politics under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah," he said.

There are many in the Congress who also believe this and are considering joining the BJP, he said.

"Amit Malik and I showed the courage. Let us see when do others follow suit," Lovely said.

He further said several senior Congress leaders are "disgusted with the selection of candidates for the civic polls", and alleged that tickets were "sold" to aspirants.

Lovely also appreciated the BJP's decision to field fresh faces in the election. The BJP will win the April 23 MCD polls with a "huge" majority, he said.