Poster war erupts between Aam Aadmi Party and Congress ahead of Punjab elections

Political relations between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress have become extremely strained ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled for next year. According to a BBC report, the friction between the two parties is no longer limited to political statements but has escalated to personal attacks and a 'poster war'.

The controversy began on November 4 during a Congress rally held at Sangrur, Punjab. During the rally, Rahul Gandhi made serious allegations against Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann. Rahul Gandhi claimed that when Bhagwant Mann was a Lok Sabha MP, the smell of alcohol would emanate from him even until 11 am. Rahul Gandhi further added that if a fight against addiction is to be fought in any state, the Chief Minister of that state must himself stay away from intoxicants.

Along with this, Rahul Gandhi questioned the management of the Punjab government, alleging that the government is being run from Delhi. He stated that half of Punjab's command is in the hands of Amit Shah and half in the hands of Arvind Kejriwal. These statements by Rahul Gandhi have further heated the political atmosphere between the two parties.

In response to these allegations, AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj termed Rahul Gandhi's statement as 'trivial' for a leader of his stature. Attacking the Congress, Bharadwaj questioned whether the Congress's biggest fight is against the BJP or against opposition parties.

Following this verbal war, attacks intensified on social media. The Aam Aadmi Party released a poster targeting Rahul Gandhi, containing personal attacks. In response, Congress leader BV Srinivasa posted a picture of Arvind Kejriwal, making personal attacks on him. Thus, a poster war began between the two parties on digital platforms.

On the other hand, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and other Punjab Congress leaders also launched scathing attacks on the Bhagwant Mann government. They levelled allegations of corruption against the government and claimed that the government is ignoring the interests of Punjab.

According to senior journalist Hemant Atri, the Punjab election is the immediate cause of this current clash, but the history of opposition between the two parties is very old. Atri states that since its rise, the Aam Aadmi Party has attacked the BJP, but its primary target has always been the Congress party. In his view, the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress are fundamentally two different political poles. Although they attempt to come together in certain special circumstances, political competition between them remains constant. According to Atri, the possibility of closeness between the two in national politics has now become very low.

Analysts believe that the current political strength of the Aam Aadmi Party is mainly limited to Punjab. According to the BBC report, AAP's position in Parliament has also weakened after some of its Rajya Sabha MPs joined the BJP, due to which its role in national politics is not what it once was.

There has been a contradiction in the relations between the two parties from the beginning. On one hand, they claim to be part of the opposition politics against the BJP, while on the other hand, they are each other's biggest political rivals in several states.

Looking at the historical context, Arvind Kejriwal founded the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012 after the Anna movement. The main target of this movement was the then Congress government, and through the fight against corruption, this party challenged the politics of the Congress. In the December 2013 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP won 28 seats, while the Congress was limited to only 8 seats. At that time, the BJP was the largest party but did not have a majority, so the Congress gave external support to the Aam Aadmi Party, and Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi for the first time. However, as the Jan Lokpal Bill could not be presented in the Assembly, Kejriwal resigned, and this government lasted for only 49 days.