New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing an opportunity to grow in Delhi and Punjab over the issues of corruption and law and order in the two regions and is seemingly making major gains at the expense of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
With two of Arvind Kejriwal’s top ministers, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, resigning over charges of corruption the BJP has slowly tasted success in targeting the Aam Aadmi Party over these charges. The arrest of the Delhi Ministers came even as Punjab Minister Fauja Singh Sarari had to step down and his colleague Vijay Singla was held over corruption charges.
The saffron unit has been deliberately and repeatedly trying to link AAP with various corruption issues in an effort to come down hard on Arvind Kejriwal’s claims of being a “political party with a difference”. Similar corruption issues have also reared its head in Punjab and the BJP is trying to target AAP's credibility, with an aim to destroy the “clean image” of Kejriwal.
With the continued levelling of allegations and sharpening attacks against the AAP on the issue of corrupt excise policy, the BJP is aiming to destroy this carefully cultivated image of the AAP.
The BJP feels that if it is able to establish a perception that the AAP, as a party, was indulging in corrupt practices, it could help the saffron unit in the 2024 general elections. The saffron unit hopes it will also ensure its hat trick of winning all seven Lok Sabha seats from Delhi in next year’s general elections.
BJP sees possibility in Punjab
Additionally, with the AAP unable to seemingly control the growing restlessness in Punjab, the BJP is seeing a possibility to grow amid escalating violence and deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
The BJP hopes to launch a massive outreach program in Punjab to highlight the failures of the Bhagwant Mann-led government in controlling growing crime, drug use and gun violence in the state.
Recent violence by Nihangs and Waris Punjab De followers has also added to the woes of the AAP.
The BJP aims to bring these failures of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to the forefront and hopes to ensure that its message is sent across to the common voters, sources said.
The saffron party has also planned to target the ruling AAP over the issue of drug abuse by launching a ‘Nasha Mukti Yatra’ in March.
With an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is gearing up to improve its base in Punjab.
As the saffron unit plans to contest the parliamentary polls in the state on its own, it is seeing an immense opportunity to grow.
Earlier the saffron unit was restricted in its operations to only the urban areas of the state due to a coalition with its ally Shiromani Akali Dal which held sway over the vast rural belt. With the SAD parting ways over the Centre’s three farm laws, which have now been repealed, the BJP is likely to contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2024.
Over the past several decades, the saffron party was contesting just three of the total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The BJP secured 2 seats in the 2019 general elections — Union Minister of State Som Nath from Hoshiarpur and actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur.
The saffron unit hopes to increase its Punjab strength of seats in Lok Sabha in the 2024 polls.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek a third term, the importance of Punjab in the BJP's political scheme of things has increased immensely as the party hopes to make major gains in the state.
AAP leadership in crisis
- Sisodia arrested: Feb 2023
- AAP Bathinda rural MLA, Amit Rattan arrested: Feb 2023
- Punjab minister Fauja Singh Sarari resigned: Jan 2023
- Punjab minister Vijay Singla arrested: May 2022
- Satyendar Jain arrested: May 2022
/newsdrum-in/media/agency_attachments/ipXwqL5g8EOqSkmkiZUK.png)
Follow Us/newsdrum-in/media/media_files/a9Bs4kV735rFv0eRUA1z.jpg)