‘Aur lado aapas mein’: Omar Abdullah throws a barb on AAP, Congress
The Delhi polls witnessed other key INDIA bloc members, including Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Samajwadi Party supporting AAP and actively campaigning for it. But the Congress contested separately which weakened the AAP’s prospects and benefitted the BJP as per some political pundits and poll analysts
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday took a jibe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress by saying “Aur lado aapas mein [and continue fighting each other)” as the two key constituents of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc miserably lost to the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections.
Mr. Abdullah is the vice president of National Conference (NC) which too is member of the INDIA alliance and, apparently upset at their defeat, his remark implies that the AAP and the Congress should have unitedly fought against the BJP in these elections.
As the BJP began to sweep Delhi after 27 years, Mr. Abdullah shared a post from the digital platform DeKoder on ‘X’, which quoted political analyst Manisha Priyam as suggesting that Congress was eating into AAP’s votes. In response to her remarks “AAP might be losing to the BJP, what remains is what they chipped away from the Congress”, and sharing a popular meme, which purportedly said, “Jee bhar kar lado. Samaapt kardo ek dusre ko (fight amongst yourselves exuberantly. Finish each other)”, the NC leader commented, “Aur lado aapas mein”.
The Delhi polls witnessed other key INDIA bloc members, including Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Samajwadi Party supporting AAP and actively campaigning for it. But the Congress contested separately which weakened the AAP’s prospects and benefitted the BJP as per some political pundits and poll analysts.
In the recent past, Mr. Abdullah has made no bones about his being unhappy with the internal conflicts within the INDIA alliance. On more than one occasion, he publicly hit out at the divide among the INDIA bloc partners, especially with the AAP and the Congress fighting each other in the Delhi elections.
A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Abdullah had while distancing himself from these elections said that if the INDIA bloc was created only for the Lok Sabha elections it should be wound up so that its constituents can continue to work in their individual capacity.
Asked to react to RDJ leader Tejashwi Yadav’s statement that the INDIA bloc was formed for the Lok Sabha elections only, Mr. Abdullah had told reporters here on January 9, “As far as I recall, there was no time limit attached to it. Unfortunately, no meetings of the INDIA bloc are being called. So, there is no clarity - neither on the leadership nor the agenda or whether we will remain there in future or not.”
Mr. Yadav’s assertion had come in the backdrop of the two major constituents of the INDIA bloc- Congress and AAP- contesting the Delhi assembly elections separately. Mr. Abdullah had also said, “We have nothing to do with the Delhi elections. The AAP, the Congress and other parties which are on the ground may decide how best the BJP can be fought against in these elections.” He had added, “The AAP has won the Delhi elections twice. We have to wait to see what the verdict of the people this time will be.”
He had hoped that after the Delhi assembly elections the INDIA bloc would meet to decide the future strategy. He had said, “Perhaps, after the Delhi polls all the INDIA bloc constituents will be invited to a meeting and there is clarity. If it was only for the Parliament elections, wind it up so that we can continue to work separately. If this was also for the assembly elections, then we will have to work together.”
On February 3, the J&K Chief Minister had stressed the need for the INDIA bloc to have a structured discussion on its future strategy, cautioning that internal rifts could harm its larger goal. While speaking to reporters in Jammu, he had said, “I have said this before, and I will say it again—someday, the INDIA alliance will have to sit down and discuss our strategy moving forward. If we fall apart like this, it won’t be good for the country.” He had, once again, called for holding a meeting of the alliance for an open discussion after the Delhi elections were over.
In the backdrop of Mr. Abdullah’s statements, his father and the NC president Farooq Abdullah had insisted on the alliance being intact and said that the basic aim of forging it was to strengthen the country by putting up a united fight against the divisive forces. “INDIA bloc is doing absolutely fine and will keep doing good in the future as well. The alliance is not just about contesting elections. It was formed to strengthen the country and put an end to hatred within. The alliance is permanent. It is for every day and every moment,” he had said.
