The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress found themselves on the same page Wednesday, as each attacked Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Assembly election next month.
The targets of their combined squabble - police from AAP-ruled Punjab who have allegedly been campaigning for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, and the "thousands of vehicles (registered in the neighbouring state)" in Delhi before Sunday's Republic Day celebration and the February 5 election.
Mr Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led the fightback for the AAP, with each posting strongly-worded posts on X. Mr Kejriwal slammed the BJP for "insulting the martyrdom of... lakhs of Punjabis in Delhi and their ancestors, who have made countless sacrifices for India".
BJP, Congress vs AAP?
The BJP's Parvesh Verma had set the political ball rolling.
On Tuesday Mr Verma - who faces Mr Verma and Mr Kejriwal in a high-profile three-way battle for the New Delhi Assembly seat, which the latter has held since 2013 - hinted darkly that "thousands of vehicles having Punjab numbers are moving (around) here (in the New Delhi constituency)", and went on, "Who are in those vehicles? Republic Day prep is going... those people may compromise security".
He claimed these vehicles were ferrying high-profile individuals, such as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his cabinet colleagues, to the New Delhi area to campaign for Mr Kejriwal, and that those within the cars were illegally influencing voters by distributing liqour and money.
He also claimed "government employees of Punjab" had been caught installing Chinese-made CCTV cameras near the India Gate in central Delhi, which is a high-security part of the city.
"I have filed a complaint with the Election Commission and also written to Delhi Police... in the last week thousands of cars from Punjab, with 'Government of Punjab' stickers pasted, are roaming around in the New Delhi Assembly seat. They are distributing alcohol and money..." he raged.
Mr Verma has also filed a Rs 100 crore defamation case against Mr Kejriwal and Mr Mann.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit then spoke up, accusing Punjab's cops of campaigning for AAP candidates in the city and claiming proof. "I have the photographs..." he told news agency ANI.
"One can bring party workers from Punjab or anywhere else.... but they cannot get police or officers of any state to campaign for any election. This is a very serious matter," Mr Dikshit added.
He demanded the Election Commission take notice of his complaint.
AAP's Furious Response
The double-barrel attack triggered a furious response from the AAP, with senior leaders accusing Mr Verma of having disrespected the people of Punjab by suggesting they constitute a 'security threat'.
"Delhi has been built by Punjabis. By calling Punjabis a threat to the country, the BJP has insulted lakhs of Punjabis in Delhi and should apologise..." Mr Kejriwal thundered, while Mr Mann called the BJP's attack "extremely dangerous, worrying, and insulting to Punjabis".
"They are marking vehicles with Punjab number plates and asking why they are in Delhi? They are speaking as if Punjabis are a threat to national security. Delhi is the capital of the country and people from every state come here. Vehicles with numbers of every state ply here... there is no restriction."
"Parvesh Verma called people of Punjab a 'threat'... BJP has again resorted to divisive politics..." AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar told ANI. Her colleague, Malvinder Singh Kang, said, "Parvesh Verma insulted (and) defamed Punjabis... tried to call them the 'ones who spread terrorism'."
Delhi vs Punjab Police?
The bickering followed an exchange of letters between the Delhi and Punjab police forces.
The Delhi cops asked to be informed about the movement of AAP leaders from Punjab when they came to the national capital, stating VIPs had not followed the necessary protocols, including sharing route details and the numbers of on-duty Punjabi police personnel operating in the city.
Punjab Police responded with a direction to ministers in its state, requesting them to follow guidelines laid down by the Election Commission and provide details to the Delhi cops.
Delhi Assembly Election
Delhi will vote for a new government on February 5. Voting for the city's 70 Assembly seats will take place in a single phase, with results to be announced three days later.
In the 2020 election the AAP scored a dominant win, claiming 62 of those seats; the BJP picked up the other eight and the Congress was routed.
With input from agencies
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