Former AAP national spokesperson praises Rahul Gandhi and says she wants to work for a greener, cleaner, safer and progressive Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 2026 : Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday joined the Congress after quitting the party, saying she had reached a point where she could no longer defend what she described as “indefensible” actions and decisions of her former organisation.
Addressing a press conference after joining the Congress, Kakkar said she wanted to see a Delhi that was green, clean, progressive and safe, similar to the city she had grown up in. She said her experience of more than a decade in Indian politics had convinced her that Congress could work towards that vision.
“I need the Delhi back in which I grew up, wanting a green, clean, progressive, and safe Delhi that was part of my upbringing. I truly believe, after over a decade of experience in Indian politics, that only the Congress can achieve this,” she said.
Kakkar also praised Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, describing him as an authentic and resilient political leader. She said Gandhi had continued to express his views despite sustained criticism and political attacks.
“I also observed that if any leader in our country's politics today is truly authentic and isn't afraid to promote authenticity, it is Rahul Gandhi,” she said.
Explaining her decision to leave the AAP, Kakkar alleged that the party had moved away from some of the principles it had projected when it was founded. She recalled that the party had once spoken against the use of official bungalows and cars but later, according to her, private helicopters were being used for travel.
“There was a time when it was said that AAP would not take a bungalow or a car. But later, choppers started being used for private travel, and I could no longer defend the indefensible,” Kakkar said.
She also questioned the appointment of certain leaders to senior organisational positions, alleging that some individuals who had not worked at the booth level in Rajasthan were subsequently given important responsibilities in Punjab along with other privileges.
Kakkar said the AAP had initially attracted people with substantial experience and commitment but later struggled to retain many of them.
“This I am speaking with lived experience. I have left AAP because they used to show that they would not take bungalows and all, but they started travelling in private choppers. I could no longer defend the indefensible,” she said.
She further referred to Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and his concerns regarding electoral-roll revision and voters’ rights. Kakkar said she believed such issues needed greater public attention. Her remarks reflected Gandhi’s own allegations and political position on the issue.
Kakkar joined the AAP in 2013 after being influenced by its political movement and later took on several organisational responsibilities. She was appointed the party’s national spokesperson in 2023.
According to her profile shared by the AAP, Kakkar served as Telangana observer from 2017 to 2019 and later worked as the legal head for the South Delhi parliamentary constituency. She was also associated with Raghav Chadha’s Lok Sabha campaign.
Between 2021 and 2023, Kakkar worked as an adviser to Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh. She also served as a legal observer for Uttar Pradesh and was part of a 12-member monitoring committee constituted for the state organisation.
Kakkar holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania and has been practising law for 17 years.
Her induction into the Congress took place at the party’s AICC headquarters in New Delhi. Former Uttar Pradesh MLA Shyam Sundar Sharma and journalist Rajat Rakesh Tandon also joined the Congress on the same day.
