Congress jibes CM Mann, AAP over NSUI victory in Panjab University polls

Tensions within the I.N.D.I.A alliance have escalated in Punjab as both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress have declared their intentions to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state independently. The rift deepened further on Wednesday when Congress leader and former Minister Partap Singh Bajwa took a dig at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann following the victory of National Students Union of India (NSUI) leader Jatinder Singh in the Panjab University Campus Student's Council (PUCSC) elections.

Taking a jibe at Mann, Bajwa, in a post on 'X' (formerly Twitter), stated, "Bhagwant Maan, we are contesting and winning elections." He went on to emphasise, "I would like to convey to Bhagwant Mann that not only we but also our young brigade know how to fight elections and win them too."

Bajwa underlined the significance of NSUI's victory, seeing it as a precursor to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a video message, he expressed his confidence, saying, "I have full faith that we will contest all 13 seats in Punjab and emerge victorious on each one of them."

My heartiest congratulations to Jatinder Singh of @NSUIPunjab, @NSUIChandigarh and @nsui for winning the PUCSC 23 elections and becoming the president.
Now I would like to convey to the Punjab CM @BhagwantMann that not only we but also our young brigade know how to fight… pic.twitter.com/yRTBlLjEVB

— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) September 6, 2023

Earlier in the day, Bajwa had categorically stated that the Punjab Congress cadre had no inclination to form an alliance with AAP's Punjab unit for the 2024 elections. He alleged that it was AAP, not the Congress, that was desperate for an alliance, suggesting that this indicated AAP's loss of ground in Punjab.

In a tweet, Bajwa asserted, "Punjab Congress Cadre is in no mood to form an alliance with the AAP Punjab for the forthcoming general elections. Even after holding power in the state for the past 18 months, the AAP is desperate to form an alliance with the Congress. No Punjab Congress leader has ever issued a statement about contesting elections in an alliance with the AAP. It is only the AAP leadership that is making such statements because they have lost their ground in Punjab. AAP's victory in the Punjab assembly election in 2022 was a political experiment that has failed terribly."

It is worth noting that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring had declared their readiness to contest all 13 seats in Punjab as per the directions of the Congress high command. In response, Punjab Minister and AAP leader Anmol Gagan Maan affirmed that AAP would also pursue a solo path in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, stating, "There is no need to forge an alliance with anyone," during a conversation with reporters on Wednesday.