Congress alleges ‘mask off’ moment for AAP, warns of separatist revival in Punjab

The Congress on Monday mounted one of its sharpest attacks yet on both the ruling BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the wake of the dramatic defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, who first split to form a separate bloc and subsequently merged with the BJP.

The Congress has casted the episode as politically consequential beyond the Rajya Sabha gambit.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, Congress treasurer Ajay Maken—among the party’s most trenchant critics of AAP despite the two parties being partners in the INDIA bloc—framed the development as the merger of the BJP’s B team in to team A.

He also said that BJP’s latest political move could have serious implications in Punjab. Maken argued that the shift in Rajya Sabha representation from Punjab could fuel separatism in Punjab and the “imbalance” could be exploited by separatist elements.

“Punjab’s separatist forces have long claimed that their voices are not heard and justice is denied to them. What the BJP has done now risks reinforcing that narrative,” he said.

Citing data, Maken pointed out that the BJP had secured just 6.6 per cent of the vote in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, winning only two out of 117 seats.

“Despite that, the BJP now effectively controls 85.7% of Punjab’s representation in the Rajya Sabha—six out of seven MPs. How will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders justify this to the people of Punjab?” he asked.

Turning his attack on AAP, Maken said the defections had “exposed the party’s true face”. He further questioned AAP’s self-description as a party of the common man, citing the financial disclosures of the defecting MPs.

“When I looked at their affidavits, I found out that the average net worth per Rajya Sabha MP is 818 crore 50 lakh 35 thousand 420 rupees. Where does the ‘Aam Aadmi’ fit into this? In reality, this is a party of billionaires,” Maken said.

 “The mask is off. A party born out of an anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare is now playing the role of the BJP’s B-team,” he alleged, adding, “and now that B-team is steadily becoming the A-team.”

The Congress remarks come amid escalating political tensions over the high-profile defections, which have triggered a fresh war of words between opposition parties and the ruling BJP.

For the Congress, the attack serves a dual purpose: reclaiming political space in Delhi –  and Punjab, where it lost power to AAP in 2022.

For AAP, the defections raise uncomfortable questions about internal cohesion and ideological consistency, especially as it seeks to position itself as a national alternative. Maken also said that the 14 years old party may face another split in coming times.

In a major political setback for the AAP, seven of its ten Rajya Sabha MPs on Friday (24 April) revolted against the leadership and joined BJP.

The development came at a politically sensitive moment. Assembly elections are underway in Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are seen as part of a broader anti-BJP political alignment, both inside and outside Parliament.