Congress, BJP wary of AAP in Punjab

There are tacit and covert moves in the Congress and the SAD-BJP camps to block the “outsider” AAP from forming a government in Punjab. Both the BJP and the Congress are going on record describing each other as “main political rivals” and claiming that “AAP is not a force”. Sources in both the BJP and the Congress revealed that regardless the political rivalry, the Congress and SAD consider each other “known devils” and are “wary of AAP”. It is also being app-rehended that if the AAP comes to power in the state, the outfit will eat into the vote bank of both the Congress and SAD and unleash “vendetta politics”.

This is something neither the Congress nor SAD want. Both the parties incidentally have declared the AAP as “enemy number one”.

Both the parties incidentally have been finding similar issues to target the AAP, which ranged from Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal dispute to blasphemy (AAP youth manifesto had carried the photo of its symbol broom at the bottom of Golden Temple picture on the cover of manifesto). The AAP, of course, said “manifesto for them is as pure as Guru Granth Sahib for Sikhs”. However, some AAP leader had apologised for the same.

Both the SAD and Congress had also pointed fingers at the AAP for “spreading communal tension in Punjab”.

AAP leaders have gone on record in Punjab saying that both the SAD and Congress “have joined hands to defeat us”. AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira had said; “Akalis called us Naxalites and associates of the Islamic state and Capt. Amarinder Singh endorsed it.”

Reports emanating from the state had indicated that the AAP had been eating into both the Congress and SAD-BJP’s vote banks in Punjab. Surveys indicated that Muslims and Christians in Punjab — the traditional vote bank of the Congress — have been shifting to the AAP.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s moves to woo Sikhs across the country including his decision to set up a special investigation team to re-investigate the 1984 riot cases has won him the support of Akali Dal’s core vote bank. While the huge 31 per cent dalit vote bank in the state was divided between the Congress and SAD, a majority of the dalits were reportedly shifting rapidly towards the AAP. The party had come out with moves to woo dalits with their so called — “Dalit Dialogue”. Of course, all the three are vying for the main vote bank in the state — the farmers. The opinion polls have so far been giving the AAP a huge lead in the state.

After a series of sting operations and an alleged rape case hit Punjab AAP leaders, the Congress seemed to be on the upswing. Though the Akalis will trying to score a hat-trick, “but we will not be majorly upset if the Congress comes to power”, an Akali leader said.

If the Congress’ Punjab face, Capt. Amrinder Singh, is to be believed, some “government agencies placed his party in the first slot with 51 per cent vote share, the AAP second with 31 per cent and the SAD-BJP third with less than 20 per cent.

The other problem worries Akali Dal leaders and some Congressmen too is AAP’s “politics of vendetta.” A section of leaders in both the outfits believe that if AAP “comes to power it will unleash a witch hunt against Akalis and some Congress leaders.”