Arvind Kejriwal missing from I.N.D.I.A bloc poster as Rahul Gandhi leads pack

Arvind Kejriwal is missing from the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc poster released for the key meeting in Mumbai scheduled on August 31 and September 1. The Delhi chief minister's absence from the poster has triggered speculations on whether all is well within the alliance. Seizing the opportunity, the Bharatiya Janata Party's Shehzad Poonawala took to social media saying: "Now dear friends, observe closely. Rahul is the leader of the pack that includes Nitish Ji, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh, Omar, Hemant, Mamata Di, Sitaram Yehcury, etc. Are AAP & Congress headed for a split? HM Amit Shah was bang on!"

Speaking to Republic, Poonawala said, "They have no mission but an ambition to become PM. If you see the placard released before the meeting, where Rahul Gandhi is leading the group of other leaders... But the interesting part is that Kejriwal is missing out from that. Today AAP also pitches Kejriwal as a PM face, whereas JDU wants Nitish to be the PM. This is going towards triple talaq and even shows their ambition behind this."

BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy added his perspective: "AAP pitches Kejriwal as PM candidate. They have to decide their PM candidate. The nation will never accept the opposition with contradictions. Irrespective of these aspects, we have the Prime Minister."

Kejriwal-Congress tensions not new

The Congress, last week, engaged in a confrontational exchange with Arvind Kejriwal regarding the performance of their respective governments. Kejriwal criticised the condition of Chhattisgarh government schools while campaigning, which elicited a sharp response from the Congress.

Pawan Khera, the head of Congress' media and publicity department, challenged Kejriwal directly, saying, "Why go to Raipur? Performance of our Chhattisgarh govt will be compared with the previous Raman Singh government." He further proposed: "Let us choose a sector of your choice and compare the performance of Congress government in Delhi vs your government here. Ready for a debate?"

Despite being part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A), tensions have recurrently surfaced between the Congress and AAP, particularly at the state level. The friction was exacerbated by Congress leader Alka Lamba's statement about contesting all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi independently, which AAP contested.

Sandeep Dikshit, another Congress leader, clarified strengthening the party across districts was a strategic move irrespective of alliance discussions. However, AAP questioned the purpose of alliance talks if Congress intended to go solo.

Dikshit suggested that AAP's response might stem from concerns about BJP's influence and a desire for attention. He emphasised that despite ideological differences, Congress would support AAP if it aligned with the central leadership. Dikshit underscored that the final decision about an alliance rested with the central leadership. This episode highlights the ongoing complexities in the relationship between Congress and AAP within the broader context of opposition alliances.