INDIA bloc chinks: In Chandigarh, AAP-Congress join hands; in Punjab, Congress bashes AAP

The Congress demonstration against the AAP government in Punjab exposed the chinks in the INDIA bloc ahead of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral election

Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress joined hands to contest election for Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral election, the Congress on Tuesday staged a demonstration against the AAP government in Punjab over the deteriorating law and order situation – exposing, in the process, the chinks in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.

On the one hand, the Congress and the AAP announced their ‘unity’ in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is the capital of Punjab (and Haryana), while on the other hand, a demonstration by Congress’s Punjab unit against its INDIA bloc partner, the AAP, currently in power in Punjab, sent out an ambiguous message regarding the coalition’s smooth sailing in the run-up to the 2024 parliamentary election. 

On Monday, after announcing the alliance for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral poll, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Pawan Bansal asserted that the Congress and the AAP in Chandigarh have become the first constituents of the INDIA bloc “to implement the decisions and sentiments of INDIA to not let the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win elections by default.”

A day later, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said that the INDIA bloc will defeat the BJP in the Chandigarh MC election, which “will set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.”

Amid these developments, the Congress party in Punjab hit out at the AAP government, blaming it for the deteriorating law and order situation in the State, and staged a demonstration protest at Padhiala in Kharar, a few kilometres away from Chandigarh.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the failure of the AAP government to ensure the safety and security of its citizens has forced the party to persist in its fight against the shortcomings of the AAP government over the past 22 months. “We are still awaiting justice for Sidhu Moosewala, and every day Punjab loses another young son or daughter. What has AAP accomplished? Have any promises been fulfilled?” he quipped, addressing the gathering.

Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that Punjab is undergoing dark days, with the youth contemplating leaving due to prevailing despair and fear. “Those who claimed to be ‘Aam’ are now neglecting those who voted for them,” he said.

The election for the post of mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor for Chandigarh MC are slated for January 18. As per the alliance, the Congress will contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor while the APP will fight for the mayor’s post. The polls for the three posts are held every year during the five-year term of the House. This year, the mayor’s seat has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

In the Chandigarh MC, there are 35 councillors while the Member of Parliament from Chandigarh (of the BJP) is an ex-officio member of the municipal corporation, and also has a voting right. The BJP has 14 councillors. The AAP has 13 councillors while the Congress has seven councillors. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one member in the House.