Claiming to be in touch with 32 AAP MLAs, Congress's Bajwa predicted the AAP government’s downfall after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Published Sep 26, 2023 | 10:37 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2023 | 10:37 PM
Congress's Partap Singh Bajwa and AAP's Bhagwant Mann. (Sourced)
Cracks are starting to show within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.
Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition in the state, the Congress, are going head-to-head, with Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann getting into a war of words on X.
Claiming to be in touch with 32 AAP MLAs, Bajwa predicted the AAP government’s fall in two months, after next year’s Lok Sabha elections. This prompted Bhagwant Mann to ask the Congress leader to refrain from “dreaming about nefarious designs” to attain power.
Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab, on Tuesday, 26 September, claimed that 32 legislators of the AAP are in touch with him as he appealed to people not to vote for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
Asserting that the Congress has 18 seats in Punjab, Bajwa noted that with support from the 32 AAP MLAs, his party can overthrow the ruling government in the state.
Mann reacted to Bajwa’s claims with a post on social media platform X. Referring to Bajwa as a “BJP-affiliated leader”, Mann challenged him to “talk to the high command”.
“Partap Bajwa (BJP), you are talking about breaking the elected government of the people of Punjab. I know the Congress killed your desire to become chief minister. I am a representative of 3 crore people of Punjab and not a trident of a chair. If you dare, talk to the high command,” Mann said in the post.
"ਭਗਵੰਤ ਸ਼ਾਹ" ਰਾਜ ਤਾਂ ਰਾਜਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਰਹੇ ਫਿਰ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਹੜੇ ਬਾਗ ਦੀ ਮੂਲੀ 🍾 ਹੋ!
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਜਕਾਰੀ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ @BhagwantMann ਵੈਸੇ ਤਾਂ ਮੈਂ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਜਵਾਬ ਦੇਣਾ ਵਾਜ਼ਿਬ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਮਝਦਾ ਪਰ ਚੱਲੋ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਖਾਧੀ ਪੀਤੀ 'ਚ ਟਵੀਟ ਕਰ ਬੈਠੇ ਓ ਤਾਂ ਜਵਾਬ ਵੀ ਸੁਣ ਲਓ।
ਜਦੋਂ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਆਕਾ ਅਰਵਿੰਦ ਕੇਜਰੀਵਾਲ ਦੇ ਹੱਥੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ… https://t.co/OJvNw5g5KA
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) September 26, 2023
The rift between the AAP and Congress, members of the INDIA bloc, started when Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Raja Warring announced that he would contest from all the 13 Lok Sabha seats of the state.
Responding to this, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the AAP and Congress will contest together, as decided by party high command, as both the parties are in an alliance at a national level.
AAP took a U-turn the next day when Tourism Minister Anmol Gagan Maan announced that her party will not tie up with the Congress in Punjab for polls and would fight elections independently from all 13 Parliamentary seats in the state.
In 2022, the AAP won the Punjab elections with a huge victory, securing 92 out of 117 seats in the state Assembly. The AAP won 92 seats, followed by Congress with 18 seats, Shiromani Akali Dal with three seats, BJP with two seats, and Bahujan Samaj Party and an independent candidate each winning one seat.
