AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has dismissed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘BJP’s B-team’ allegation, accusing Congress of enabling BJP governments through mass defections and questioning their own long-term electoral failures.
Sanjay Singh Counters ‘BJP’s B-Team’ Accusation
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday hit back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his ‘BJP’s B-team’ remark, accusing Congress of repeatedly helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) form governments in several states through defections by its MLAs. Addressing a press conference in Sultanpur, Singh questioned the Congress’s criticism of the AAP, alleging that its MLAs had repeatedly switched sides and joined the BJP in several states.
Citing examples from Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, Singh alleged that Congress MLAs had defected to the BJP, facilitating the formation of BJP governments. “In Arunachal Pradesh in 2016, the public voted for Congress Party. Yet, the entire Congress party and its MLAs defected to the BJP and formed a BJP government,” he said.
Referring to other states, Singh alleged that nine Congress MLAs switched to the BJP in Uttarakhand in 2016, 13 crossed over in Goa in 2017, 13 defected in Karnataka in 2019 and 22 joined the BJP in Madhya Pradesh in 2020. “In Goa again in 2022, eight Congress MLAs broke away and joined the BJP. Across the entire country, the Congress party and its MLAs repeatedly defect in chunks to join the BJP and form their governments. Entire state units of the Congress cross over to the BJP–and today, you are questioning us?” he said.
AAP Leaders’ Legal Battles vs Congress
The AAP MP also cited the cases of party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and himself, who, he said, had gone to jail while fighting the BJP. “The Aam Aadmi Party is that party whose topmost leader, Arvind Kejriwal, went to jail while serving as Chief Minister after fighting the BJP. Our Education Minister Manish Sisodia went to jail fighting the BJP; our Health Minister Satyendar Jain went to jail; I went to jail,” Singh said.
“Can you name four major leaders of Congress Party who went to jail? Hemant Soren went to jail, leaders of the TMC went to jail, DMK leaders went to jail–tell us the names of four senior Congress leaders who went to jail! And yet, you have the audacity to question us?” he added.
Criticism of Congress Electoral Performance
Singh further questioned the Congress over its electoral performance in several states, citing the periods during which the party had remained out of power in different parts of the country. “In Uttar Pradesh, Congress has been out of power for 37 years. In Bihar, for 36 years. In West Bengal, for 54 years. In Tamil Nadu, for 59 years,” he said, listing other states as well.
“Assess your own shortcomings! Look within yourselves! Across the country, you are the ones who strengthened the BJP, empowered them, and committed the crime of helping them form governments. And now you question the Aam Aadmi Party?” he said.
Calling Congress the real ‘BJP’s B-team’, Singh said the party had been losing elections in several states for decades and accused it of making baseless allegations against the AAP. “The entire country is watching and knows who the real ‘B-team’ of the BJP is. It is Congress that facilitates BJP governments and has been losing elections for decades. In Gujarat, you have been losing elections for 31 years–AAP didn’t even exist back then; why were you losing then?” he said.
Singh further said the AAP government in Punjab, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had delivered for the people and would return to power with a majority. “Under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann ji, the Aam Aadmi Party government has delivered for the people of Punjab, and we will form the government there once again with a resounding, thumping majority,” he said.
On Wednesday, addressing the Congress’ ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur, Kharge had accused the AAP government in Punjab of corruption and drug-related issues and alleged that public money was being sent from the state to Delhi. “The Punjab government is a government of drugs and corruption. I have not seen such a corrupt government in my 60 years of public life. Money is being sent from here to Delhi. They are the BJP’s B-team,” Kharge had said. The rally marked the launch of Congress’ political campaign in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the party seeking to challenge the AAP government in the state. (ANI)
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