The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday intensified its attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal by releasing a fresh poster targeting him. This comes a day after a Raghav Chadha-led exodus dealt a significant blow to the party.
Poster Targets Kejriwal
The poster, titled "A Film by AAP-da: Taanashah", features a stern image of Kejriwal at the centre, with a backdrop of a line of AAP members appearing to walk away. The party’s broom symbol is shown broken in the foreground, while discarded AAP caps lie scattered, pointing to the Raghav Chadha-led exodus. The tagline at the bottom reads "directed by Arvind Kejriwal".
Exodus of AAP MPs
The BJP’s offensive comes a day after a major setback for AAP, with several of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, quitting the party and joining the BJP. Raghav Chadha, who had earlier been removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Upper House, formalised the split at a press conference in Delhi, claiming that nearly two-thirds of the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs would now function as a separate faction. Along with Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal were among those who announced their exit and joined the BJP in the presence of party leadership.
Political Reactions
The development triggered sharp reactions within AAP, even as BJP leaders sought to project it as a natural outcome of internal dissent. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva termed the split expected, while party leaders escalated their attack on Kejriwal by dubbing him the "Rahman Dakait of Delhi" and circulating images they described as "Sheeshmahal 2". AAP, however, rejected the visuals outright. "All the pictures issued by Pravesh Verma are fake. They are not pictures of Kejriwal's house. To find out whose house is how luxurious, Rekha Gupta and LG should open up their own homes, and Kejriwal will open up his house. The public will decide for itself," AAP leader Atishi said.
Internal Tensions
The rupture within the party is not new and had been building for weeks. Tensions became public after Chadha was removed from his Rajya Sabha post, followed by criticism from within AAP, with some leaders accusing him of being soft on the BJP. The move is said to deal a great blow to AAP ahead of Punjab assembly elections scheduled for 2027.
