Guess what's common between Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, and Yogi Adityanath? They all feature in the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) new campaign poster for the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5.
The ruling party in Delhi has branded the political heavyweights as part of the “corrupt” brigade, sparking off a political slugfest that could give daytime soap operas a run for their money.
The poster, with the tagline “Kejriwal ki imandari sare beyimano par padegi bhari”—translating to "Kejriwal's honesty will outweigh all the dishonest people"—also stars BJP stalwarts Amit Shah and MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur.
But the unexpected guest appearance of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has added a new dimension to Delhi's already spicy political drama.
Gloves off in the INDIA bloc
The AAP and Congress might be part of the opposition bloc INDIA at the national level, but Delhi's assembly poll battle has turned the alliance into a boxing ring.
Rahul Gandhi’s inclusion in AAP’s “corrupt list” comes days after he took a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of peddling false promises.
“Delhi now wants the real development model of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and not the false propaganda and PR model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal,” Gandhi declared at a rally, aiming potshots with precision.
He further accused Kejriwal of aping Modi’s “strategy of propaganda and false promises” while neglecting the needs of marginalised groups like Dalits and tribals.
Clearly, Kejriwal is not one to take criticism lying down. With his latest poster, he has declared, “If I’m corrupt, then so are you—and you, and you!”
Congress vs AAP
The poster also features Ajay Maken, who once labelled Kejriwal “anti-national,” and Sandeep Dikshit, the late Sheila Dikshit’s son, who is contesting against the AAP chief in the New Delhi constituency.
Add to this the ongoing spat between AAP and Congress leaders, and the INDIA bloc seems more like the “Disunited Nations.”
Congress leader Alka Lamba didn’t mince words either, challenging Kejriwal to quit the INDIA alliance. “Congress party is standing strong with 100 MPs, and Arvind Kejriwal is the one who gave all the seven seats to BJP,” she fumed.
“You (Kejriwal) were begging in front of us for an alliance during the Lok Sabha elections. Congress made the biggest mistake by forming an alliance with your party.”
In retaliation, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar accused Congress of striking a “secret deal” with the BJP, even alleging 'financial transactions' to fund its election campaign.
BJP joins the drama
Meanwhile, the BJP, never one to sit out the action, joined the fray with its own poster.
Renewing its ‘AAP-da’ (disaster) campaign, it called the ruling party in Delhi a “gang of big thugs full of goons and criminals.”
With the Delhi Assembly elections shaping up to be a three-way contest, the stakes are sky-high.
Despite sharing space in the INDIA bloc, AAP and Congress are fighting this election separately, and AAP leaders have dismissed Congress as “irrelevant” in Delhi’s political landscape.
Arvind Kejriwal, the self-styled torchbearer of “honest governance,” is pitching the election as a choice between his administration’s achievements and the perceived failures of both national parties.
As for the INDIA bloc, this episode has made one thing clear - opposition unity is easier said than done, especially when the battle is over a city as politically significant as Delhi.
With polling on February 5 and results on February 8, the capital is in for an electrifying showdown
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