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The upcoming Delhi assembly elections are heating up, with the Congress party launching a significant attack on Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and former Delhi chief minister. The attack centers around an old video purportedly showing Kejriwal expressing views on the reservation system in India. This video, shared by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, has become a key piece of ammunition in the party's campaign strategy. In the video, Kejriwal seemingly suggests that families who have already benefited from reservation should not continue to receive it, advocating instead for a rotation to allow other families to access these opportunities. He also purportedly advocates against providing reservations to those who are economically well-off. The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified, and the AAP has yet to offer a direct response to the Congress's accusations.
The Congress party believes this video highlights a crucial inconsistency in Kejriwal's political stance. They argue that Kejriwal's purported comments in the video explain his apparent silence on key policy issues related to reservations. Specifically, they point to his lack of vocal support for the removal of the 50% cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions, as well as his lack of support for a caste census. Jairam Ramesh directly linked Kejriwal's purported views in the video to his perceived inaction on these crucial issues, framing the video as evidence of hypocrisy and a betrayal of the interests of marginalized communities.
Adding fuel to the fire, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also launched a scathing attack on both Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that both leaders were equally culpable in denying Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and minorities their rightful share of resources and opportunities. Gandhi's critique directly positions the Congress as the champion of social justice, contrasting its purported commitment to the welfare of marginalized communities with the perceived failures of both the AAP and the BJP. In a significant election promise, Rahul Gandhi pledged to conduct a caste survey in Delhi should the Congress win the upcoming assembly elections.
Gandhi's comments were made during his first public meeting for the Delhi assembly polls. During this meeting, he also highlighted the achievements of three consecutive Sheila Dikshit-led Congress governments in Delhi, implicitly suggesting that neither Kejriwal nor the BJP could match the Congress's record on governance and social welfare. This strategy aims to present the Congress as a credible alternative to both the AAP and the BJP, emphasizing their historical track record while criticizing the shortcomings of their current competitors. The contrast is meant to be persuasive to voters who may be disillusioned with the other parties.
Kejriwal's response to Gandhi's criticism was measured, focusing on avoiding direct confrontation. In a message on X (formerly Twitter), he acknowledged the harsh language used by Gandhi but insisted that he would not retaliate. Kejriwal framed the conflict as one between his own priorities and those of Gandhi, asserting that his focus was on national issues, while Gandhi's focus remains on the survival and success of the Congress party. This response demonstrates an attempt to manage the political fallout of the Congress's attack, while still maintaining a semblance of unity within the INDIA alliance, a broader opposition coalition of which both the AAP and Congress are members.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that while both the Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA alliance and collaborated in the recent Lok Sabha elections, they are now contesting the Delhi assembly elections separately. This internal competition within the alliance underscores the complex political dynamics at play and suggests the possibility of significant strategic calculations impacting the overall outcome of the elections. The use of the old video and the subsequent public pronouncements by Congress leaders highlight the escalating nature of political attacks, and underscore the significant stakes of the upcoming Delhi assembly polls.
The controversy surrounding the video and the resulting political clashes demonstrate the heightened stakes of the Delhi elections and the intensity of the competition among political parties. The Congress party's strategy appears to be centered on exposing alleged contradictions in Kejriwal's political positions, attempting to undermine his credibility among marginalized communities and appeal to voters who may be seeking alternatives to both the BJP and AAP. The use of a seemingly old video, however, also raises questions about the ethical considerations involved in political campaigns and the potential for misinformation to influence public opinion. The overall impact of this strategy on the upcoming elections remains to be seen. The situation will continue to evolve as the Delhi assembly elections draw nearer and as the competing parties intensify their campaigning efforts.