Chandigarh: The recent exchange of words in Delhi has now unveiled a growing discord between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) within the state of Punjab. The rift not only exists between these alliance partners but has also become pronounced within the Congress party itself. During a Youth Congress event on August 24, Leader of Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, publicly expressed his party members' resistance to the alliance with AAP. Bajwa likened a reluctant partnership to a reluctant marriage, stating that it harms both families. He asserted that Congress members in Punjab do not wish to be remotely associated with individuals he deemed "anti-Punjab."
Bajwa's remarks included equating Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to Adolf Hitler and implying that actions taken against AAP leadership will be carried out when in power. Earlier on August 10, Bajwa had declared Congress' intention to independently contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections, excluding any collaboration with AAP, the ruling alliance partner in I.N.D.I.A. alliance. Back in June, during discussions about the Opposition alliance, Bajwa expressed his reservations to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring conveyed the state unit's perspectives to the Gandhis, hoping for consideration.
Despite a shared goal of keeping the BJP out of power, state Congress leaders are wary of an alliance with AAP in Punjab. Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira noted that the BJP holds little relevance in Punjab, rendering an alliance redundant. He highlighted that party workers oppose AAP due to what they perceive as vindictive policies enacted by Mann. Former Congress MLA Rajinder Singh, a close aide of former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, emphasized that the party struggles to rally its cadre due to perceived vendettas against its leaders. Another senior party leader cited derogatory language used by CM Mann in the Assembly as a barrier to forming an alliance. This is not the first instance of friction between the alliance partners. On August 17, Congress leader Alka Lamba announced the party's intention to contest all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, supported by leader Sandeep Dikshit's characterization of AAP as "a party of fools."
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