AAP and Congress: Friends with benefits or Frenemies?

The war between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party is quite old. It dates back to the time when Arvind Kejriwal plunged started anti-corruption movement with Anna Hazare and others in 2011.

When Kejriwal decided to join politics, it was to uproot the Congress government and bring about people’s government which is corruption free and based on idealistic principles. He pledged that he won’t extend or take support of either Congress or BJP whatever come may for forming the government if there is an opportunity to do so.

And that opportunity came after it had a spectacular debute in the Delhi assembly elections.

After delaying their decision and keep the fate of Delhi hanging for over two weeks, Kejriwal and his party finally decided to form the government – with “evil” and ‘corrupt” Congress.

What that makes AAP?

When AAP was formed, it was widely spoken that the party will eat into BJP’s votes and indirectly benefit Congress. Well, benefit is yet to be ascertained but it certainly ate into BJP’s vote share. Now BJP is crying hoarse atop a roof and it is not being heard despite getting a clear mandate in assembly elections. And Congress is extending outside support to the AAP.

The good work that AAP will do is bound to have Congress support for which the party will definitely stake claim. This makes Congress a friend-with-benefits to AAP. But for Congress to reap that benefit, AAP will actually have to deliver.

Also, AAP and Congress are all the time embroiled in a verbal spat. First Congress spoke of extending “unconditional” support to AAP to end the political deadlock. While AAP was mulling over the government forming prospects, it never left a single moment to call Congress the biggest con of politics and gained sympathy from public for being in a situation where it had to take support of corrupt parties.

AAP did have a choice. It could have taken BJP’s support, but no, it picked Congress.

Now finding itself in the awkward situation where Congress is supporting darling of the public Kejriwal and still getting spitted at, like a frenemy, Congress threw a tantrum. Former CM Sheila Dikshit announced that Congress will extend issue and policy based support, and that AAP will have to set a deadline for all the promises it made to deliver.

However high pitch AAP may acquire to cry hoarse over the Congress’ change of stance, the problem remains – they will have to try and deliver the impossible.

Meanwhile, AAP has also launched another frontal attack on its ‘supporter’ saying that it will probe all the corruption charges against Congress leaders, especially related to Commonwealth games.

If the conditions remain so, as Prashant Bhushan prophesised, AAP will certainly be ousted from power due to lack of majority after six months. But the martyr position it will acquire will give it a greater majority the next time. Well, at least we hope so.