New Delhi [India], January 25: With the Delhi assembly elections drawing near, the political climate has become increasingly charged as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a scathing attack on several opposition leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of being “dishonest.”
The move by AAP, which released a poster on its social media platforms, escalates tensions within the opposition INDIA alliance. The poster targets Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sandeep Dikshit, and Ajay Maken, as well as BJP figures such as Yogi Adityanath, Anurag Thakur, and others, branding them as “dishonest.” In contrast, AAP claims its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, remains “honest.”
“Kejriwal’s honesty will prevail over all the dishonest people,” the poster states.
Congress responded strongly, challenging Kejriwal to quit the INDIA alliance, and accusing him of helping the BJP by giving all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi to the party.
“If Arvind Kejriwal has the courage, he should announce that he is leaving the INDIA alliance. Congress is standing strong with 100 MPs, while Kejriwal handed all 7 Delhi seats to the BJP. During the Lok Sabha elections, Kejriwal was begging us for an alliance. Congress made a huge mistake by forming an alliance with AAP,” said Congress candidate Alka Lamba from Kalkaji.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh went even further, suggesting a connection between Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and the RSS, labeling AAP as the “B Team” of the BJP.
“BJP and AAP are two sides of the same coin. AAP is the B team of the BJP. There is a collusion between them. Who started the Anna Hazare movement? Where did they get inspiration from? RSS was behind this,” Ramesh claimed.
Ramesh also clarified that the INDIA alliance was formed for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and has no relevance in the Delhi assembly polls. He accused Kejriwal of misleading voters and claimed that while the Sheila Dikshit government worked for Delhi’s development, Kejriwal’s tenure has been marked by false promises.
“Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister by lying. We’ve seen nothing but ‘jumlas’ and announcements in the past 10 years,” Ramesh added.
The Delhi Assembly elections are set to take place on February 5, with votes being counted on February 8. A total of 699 candidates are vying for the 70 assembly seats. While Congress has struggled in recent elections, AAP has dominated, securing 67 seats in 2015 and 62 seats in 2020. The BJP, in contrast, secured just three and eight seats in those respective elections.