New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday intensified its poster war against its rivals ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, taking direct aim at the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). For the first time it made a direct attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi putting him in a list of “dishonest people”. So far, it has refrained from directly attacking the leader of the opposition, instead describing his remarks against AAP as an attempt to save Congress.
The poster, bearing the tagline “Kejriwal’s honesty will outweigh all the dishonest people”, features images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and Delhi BJP leaders. Rahul Gandhi’s inclusion, however, signals AAP’s determination to target the Congress more openly as the campaign heats up.
एक अकेला पड़ेगा सब पर भारी 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5jkvWaDXt4
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 25, 2025
Rahul’s criticism of Kejriwal’s governance record
The move follows Rahul Gandhi’s sharp criticism of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s governance record. At a recent rally, Gandhi claimed that Kejriwal could not rival the achievements of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
“Delhi now wants the real development model of Sheila Dikshit, not the false propaganda and PR model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal,” Gandhi remarked.
Gandhi has also accused Kejriwal of mirroring PM Modi’s governance strategy, alleging that both leaders rely on “propaganda and false promises” while failing to tackle pressing issues like pollution, corruption, and inflation in the national capital. On another occasion, Gandhi charged that marginalised communities, including Dalits and tribals, have been sidelined under both Modi’s and Kejriwal’s administrations.
Maken previously labelled Kejriwal as “anti-national”
Congress leaders have doubled down on the attack. Ajay Maken previously labelled Kejriwal as “anti-national”, while Sandeep Dikshit, son of Sheila Dikshit, is contesting against the AAP chief from the New Delhi constituency. Both Maken and Dikshit appear on AAP’s latest poster alongside Gandhi.
Meanwhile, the BJP has also ramped up its campaign, releasing a poster on social media branding AAP as a “disaster”. The caption reads: “On 5th February, people of Delhi will teach a lesson to the ‘AAP-da’ gang of big thugs full of goons and criminals!”
The Delhi assembly elections, scheduled for February 5 with results to be announced on February 8, is shaping up to be a high-stakes triangular contest. Although AAP and Congress are allies in the INDIA opposition bloc nationally, the two parties are contesting the Delhi elections separately.
