New Delhi:

The arrest of Congress chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira early Thursday morning on fees of drug smuggling and cash laundering has triggered a bitter three-point squabble in Punjab because the ruling Aam Aadmi Party counters “political vendetta” claims by Mr Khaira’s occasion and assaults from the BJP.

Mr Khaira was taken into custody whereas he was internet hosting a Facebook Live video at his residence in Chandigarh, and grainy and dramatic visuals of police dragging him away have been broadly shared.

VIDEO | Congress chief @SukhpalKhaira arrested by Jalalabad Police from his home in Chandigarh earlier right this moment.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/tfxhjckvQI

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 28, 2023

The Congress chief has accused the AAP and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of being “thirsty for blood”. “Will not be surprised if he gets me physically eliminated also,” he declared.

#WATCH | Congress chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira who has been detained by Punjab Police in a medication case says, “Bhagwant Mann has become thirsty for blood. I will not be surprised if he gets me physically eliminated also. I sense something very very dangerous…Bhagwant Mann is not… pic.twitter.com/G15b2HmgEB

— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2023

The AAP authorities has claimed “recent proof” – in a 2015 case – led to Mr Khaira’s arrest, and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said “legislation is similar for everybody… whichever occasion member”.

Also, AAP MP Sushil Gupta has claimed Sukhpal Khaira had “safety from earlier governments”.

READ | Congress MLA Arrested In Drug Smuggling Case In AAP-Ruled Punjab

The Congress’ state unit is livid and Punjab boss Amarinder Raja Warring has denounced the arrest as “an try to intimidate the opposition”. “… A ploy of the AAP authorities to distract from core points. We stand strongly with Sukhpal Khaira,” Mr Warring posted on X.

The latest arrest of @INCPunjab MLA @SukhpalKhaira ji smacks of Political Vendetta, it is an attempt to intimidate the opposition and is a ploy of the @AAPPunjab govt to distract from core issues. We stand strongly with Sukhpal Khaira and will take this fight to its logical…

— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) September 28, 2023

AAP Vs Congress = Bad News For INDIA?

Significant in all this is the fact that while AAP and Congress’ regional leaders see themselves as rivals, the parties are partners on the national stage; both are members of the INDIA bloc bidding to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in five state polls due this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The AAP and the Congress’ national leadership may be pulling for the INDIA bloc but Mr Khaira’s arrest has thrown open regional rivalries that could make it difficult, if not impossible, for the two to work together, particularly on the campaign trail, in the build-up to next year’s general election.

Ahead of the election, much of the talk surrounding INDIA has been on seat-sharing and whether the AAP and the Congress can overcome differences to amicably divvy up Punjab’s 13 Lok Sabha seats.

The emphasis is on ‘amicably’ because, so far, the two parties’ state leaders have opposed any attempt to divide seats. Earlier this month Punjab Minister Anmol Gagan Mann claimed “instructions” from the Chief Minister to insist the AAP would contest all 13 seats on its own. The Congress’ Mr Warring was also insistent and said he believed no decision would be made “with out our consent”.

Impact On INDIA Bloc Beyond Punjab?

But it isn’t just Punjab’s seats that are in focus. The AAP and Congress were also expected to divide seven seats in Delhi and 26 in Gujarat. That is 46 seats – 8.47 per cent of the total available.

Importantly, the BJP won 33 of 33 seats in Delhi and Gujarat and four of 13 in Punjab. The Congress may have won 8 in Punjab but since then the party was also routed by the AAP in last year’s state poll. And the AAP has been under heavy fire by the BJP (and the Congress) since that win.

If the AAP and the Congress can’t overcome Mr Khaira’s arrest and collaborate, then the BJP will be favourite to win a majority of seats in Punjab and Delhi, and more than likely sweep Gujarat again.

READ | As Election Nears, INDIA Seat-Sharing In This State May Be Issue: Sources

The INDIA bloc’s enchantment – a viable and cohesive non-BJP various – is more and more being seen as a problem given these rifts. The CPIM, for example, has ruled out seat-sharing in Bengal and Kerala.