Congress Faces Another Blow: BJP Labels AAP's Delhi Seat Offer as Yet Another 'No-Confidence Motion

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has characterized the recent offer from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Congress for a single Lok Sabha seat in Delhi as another blow to the already beleaguered party. BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla declared that this move signifies another “no-confidence motion” against the Congress by its own allies.

Mr Poonawalla said even Congress leaders are leaving the party.

Poonawalla highlighted recent incidents where other political entities had seemingly snubbed the Congress. He mentioned Mamata Banerjee’s offer of just two seats, Akhilesh Yadav’s allocation of seats in Uttar Pradesh, and Sanjay Raut’s assertion that the Congress should start from zero in Maharashtra. Poonawalla argued that these instances demonstrate a lack of confidence in the Congress among its alliance partners, transforming the coalition into an effort to diminish the party’s influence rather than challenging the ruling BJP.

Asserting that the alliance partners’ lack of confidence stems from the diminishing appeal of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, Poonawalla declared, “It is not an alliance of ‘Modi Hatao’ but an alliance of ‘Congress ko ghatao’ (diminish Congress).” He suggested that the Congress should be given around 200 seats or less nationwide, attributing the emergence of regional parties to a gradual erosion of the Congress’ voter base.

Poonawalla cited the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) rise to power in Delhi as an example of how regional parties have eclipsed the Congress. He argued that the AAP gained prominence by superseding the Congress in both Delhi and Punjab, emphasizing their reluctance to revive a diminishing political force.

Taking a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Poonawalla remarked on the perceived decline in support for the party since the initiation of Rahul Gandhi’s “Nyay Yatra.” He listed instances where leaders like Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Milind Deora, and Ashok Chavan expressed dissatisfaction or distanced themselves from the Congress. Poonawalla predicted a widespread rejection of such alliances by the public.

Earlier, AAP MP Sandeep Pathak had offered the Congress one seat in Delhi, acknowledging the Congress party’s limited electoral success in the region. While the AAP plans to contest the remaining six seats, the gesture was made in the spirit of alliance and respect for the Congress party.