Congress’s Punjab Puzzle: Why Raghav Chadha’s Exit, AAP’s Woes Aren’t Cause For Celebration

The Congress calculation is that if the Bhagwant Mann government falls, it could get easier for Aam Aadmi Party to regroup & milk some sympathy from Punjabis who value ‘wafadaari’

Sources say around 50 AAP MLAs are in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and many could walk out over the next couple of weeks. (PTI)

The Congress does not want the Bhagwant Mann sarkar to fall in Punjab. Surprising as it sounds, there is a reason behind this ‘sympathy’ after Raghav Chadha‘s Friday shocker.

The Congress calculation is that if the Mann government falls after the exit of Raghav Chadha and six other MPs, it could get easier for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to regroup and milk some sympathy from Punjabis who give a high premium to ‘wafaadari’ or loyalty.

Sources say around 50 AAP MLAs are in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and many could walk out over the next couple of weeks. If this happens, Punjab could see an Akali-BJP combine come to power, which does not augur well for the Congress. This is why the Congress is hoping against hope that the AAP doesn’t fall like a pack of cards.

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The worry in the Congress is that some of its MLAs too could be in touch with the BJP. The party had faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the AAP and has been facing massive infighting, which even the top leadership is finding tough to handle.

The Akalis were the first to issue a statement, saying the AAP government could fall. So far, Akalis have not made any public statement to even suggest a coming together with the BJP. For the BJP, like Bengal, Punjab has been on the to-do list. But it lacks any strong Jat Sikh or Sikh face, without which any power is tough to get.

A bitter experience with the Akalis, where it had an upper hand in the alliance, is what the BJP is not keen to risk again. So, it hopes to have a Sikh face of its on. And if the Akalis come along, then so be it.

This is why a split in AAP in Punjab—with maybe even Mann hopping along—is the ideal situation for the saffron party. This is also where the Congress apple cart could tumble—a possibility that was discussed at a stock-taking meeting held by the party on Friday when seven AAP MPs quit to join the BJP.

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