In a move reminiscent of high-stakes political maneuvering, the Congress party on Sunday hinted at the possibility of joining forces with the ruling party Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab ahead of the looming Lok Sabha elections, slated for June 1 in the border state.
The drama unfolded during the INDIA bloc’s electrifying rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, where Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge strategically directed his remarks towards Punjab Chief Minister and the AAP leader Bhagwant Mann. With a twinkle in his eye and a hint of intrigue in his tone, Kharge asserted, “We will move together. I expect the Punjab Chief Minister that we will achieve something only when we will fight together.”
The cryptic statement, laden with political undertones, sparked frenzied speculation among political circles. Is Punjab witnessing the birth of an unlikely alliance between the main rivals? With Punjab’s political landscape heating up ahead of the elections, Kharge’s words have set tongues wagging and imaginations running wild.
Notably, the two parties have a seat-sharing pact in some states, including Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi, but they failed to reach consensus in Punjab. Seizing the opportunity to urge AAP, and specifically Mann, to join forces in Punjab for the looming parliamentary elections, Kharge said: “Mil ke chalenge…Isiliye main Punjab ke hamare Chief Minister se main apeksha karta hoon jab ek honge hum ladenge tabhi hum kuch haasil karenge. Nahi to ek dusre ko kuchalte rahenge…aap kabhi aage nahi ayenge. Pehle ek hone ka seekho, ek duursre ko todne ka mat socho. Yeh hamara usool hona chahiye. (Will move together. I expect Punjab Chief Minister that we will achieve something only when we will fight together. Otherwise, we will not move forward if we will keep suppressing each other. First, learn to come together and not to break others. This should be our principle).”
The convergence of Congress' foremost figures, including Sonia Gandhi, Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and KC Venugopal, on a single platform to rally behind AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal carried considerable weight.
Insiders within the Congress camp interpret Kharge’s remarks as a subtle olive branch extended towards the AAP, signaling a willingness to explore synergies for a shared cause. This strategic shift comes as the Congress recalibrates its electoral strategy in response to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) recent candidate announcements for Punjab, which included selections from the opposition ranks.
The BJP's tactical move appears to have set off a chain reaction, prompting the Congress to reconsider its stance on collaboration. The emergence of common adversaries has seemingly compelled the Congress to entertain the notion of a united front with the AAP, despite their ideological disparities and the animosities.
As the political pot simmers with intrigue and speculation, Punjab emerged as the battleground where rivalries may be set aside in pursuit of a greater political prize. The prospect of a Congress-AAP alliance, while rife with challenges and uncertainties, holds the promise of reshaping Punjab's electoral landscape and challenging the status quo.
Notably, AAP has already announced its candidates for eight seats, fielding five Ministers. In a major setback, AAP’s lone sitting MP in Lok Sabha and party candidate from Jalandhar Sushil Kumar Rinku joined BJP and will now seek re-election on BJP ticket. Along with him, AAP’s MLA Sheetal Angural also joined the BJP. Now for the remaining six seats, the party is struggling to find the suitable names. Even as Congress is yet to declare its candidates, it has zeroed in on several names.
On the other hand, BJP had on Saturday named six, out of total 13, candidates fielding three turncoats — Preneet Kaur from Patiala, Rinku from Jalandhar, Ravneet Singh Bittu from Ludhiana; one partyhopper Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot; a former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu from Amritsar; and its former MLA Dinesh Singh Babbu from Gurdaspur.
Rivals Take Aim at AAP-Cong for Sharing Stage
Punjab’s political landscape is ablaze with controversy as AAP and Congress face mounting criticism for sharing a common platform, with rival parties unleashing a barrage of criticism. Terming it a ‘historic’ day marked by revelations and realignments, leaders in Punjab from BJP and SAD on Sunday lambasted the Congress and AAP, accusing them of betrayal, opportunism, and moral bankruptcy.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar pulled no punches as he castigated the Congress leadership for sharing the stage with AAP’s Bhagwant Mann in support of arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Jakhar labeled the development as Congress’ damning acceptance of insults to its leaders and workers who have faced vendetta from the AAP government.
He expressed pity for Punjab Congress leaders who, according to him, endured jail terms at the hands of the vindictive Punjab Chief Minister. “Maybe their leaders don't think, or nobody guides them or they don't really care,” Jakhar remarked, questioning the Congress leadership’s judgment in aligning with a party that has allegedly targeted and humiliated its own members.
SAD general secretary and spokesperson Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad echoed Jakhar's sentiments, denouncing Punjab Chief Minister Mann's collaboration with the Congress as a betrayal of the Sikh community. Mohammad highlighted the Congress party's role in the 1984 Sikh massacre, accusing it of grievous injustices against Sikhs. He cautioned against political maneuvers that compromise the interests and sentiments of Punjab's populace, signaling an impending challenge to AAP's alliance with the Congress.
Former Union Minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal escalated the rhetoric, branding the Congress and AAP as two sides of the same coin. She criticized the BJP for allegedly adopting Congressmen into its ranks and pursuing power at any cost. “BJP is morphing into the new Congress in Punjab by importing Congressmen into its ranks and compromising on principles to attain power,” she said.
She asserted the SAD’s commitment to principles, vowing to stand with farmers and the poor without succumbing to opportunism.
