Congress and AAP escalate war of words ahead of Punjab polls as Rahul Gandhi’s remark on Bhagwant Mann draws counter-attack

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are trading personal attacks ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi’s alcohol jibe at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has drawn a “Pappu” jibe at him from the AAP, and the war of words is moving from the rally stage to social media.

Gandhi launched the Congress campaign at the Insaaf Rally in Sangrur, Mann’s home district, on Wednesday. Mann was the Sangrur MP from 2014 to March 2022. Recalling their days together in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition alleged that “at 11 am, he used to smell of alcohol”. Gandhi called drinking a personal matter. But he said anyone who wants to fight drugs cannot be intoxicated every evening.

He also asked the AAP to name one corner of Punjab where it has wiped out drugs, including “chitta”, an adulterated form of heroin. Gandhi alleged that Punjab is being run from Delhi. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal hold the reins while Mann “just sits there”.


The AAP’s first reply came from its Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj. He called the remarks a below-the-belt attack and said similar allegations had been made against Gandhi too. But he added that mere allegations achieve nothing and that Gandhi should not have said such petty things.

Bharadwaj asked whether the Congress sees the BJP or the Opposition parties as its biggest enemy. He also asked if Gandhi had made such remarks about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami or the Goa chief minister. He accused both the Congress and the BJP of targeting Punjab because it has an Opposition government.

Hours later, the AAP’s official handle on X posted, “Tell us your favourite Pappu quote!” Its own pick, in Hindi, translates to: “If I put potatoes in from one side, gold will come out from the other.” It carried an illustration of Gandhi with the word “Pappu” across his face. “Pappu” is a nickname Gandhi’s political opponents have long used for him.

The potato line goes back to a speech Gandhi made at a rally in Patan, Gujarat, in November 2017. He was mocking what he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promises to farmers. A clipped video later made it appear that Gandhi himself was promising to turn potatoes into gold. The full speech showed he was attributing the claim to Modi.

The Congress hit back in the same style. AICC secretary Srinivas BV posted a poster on X showing Kejriwal stepping out of a torn poster in an RSS-style uniform of khaki shorts, white shirt and black cap. The caption read “Phata poster, nikla chaddi”, a play on the popular phrase “Phata poster, nikla hero”. The poster mocked the AAP as the BJP’s “B-team”.

Other Congress leaders at the rally joined in. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said that in 60 years of public life he has never seen a more corrupt government. He alleged that money collected in Punjab is being sent to Delhi. Former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi called Mann a “habitual drinker” and asked how someone who drinks every day can govern Punjab. Partap Singh Bajwa likened the alleged looting of Punjab under the AAP to the raids of 18th century Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali.

Gandhi also raised the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala. He said Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh met him just before the speech, which made him change his plan. Gandhi recalled that Moosewala had come to meet him years ago and joined the Congress. He claimed the singer’s security was removed before he was shot dead in broad daylight. Moosewala was killed in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, 2022.

Gandhi also repeated his challenge to Modi for an open debate on the charge that the Congress is anti-national. “Come anywhere, sit with me and debate,” he said.

The Congress and the AAP are partners in the INDIA bloc at the national level. In Punjab, they are fighting each other. The AAP swept the 2022 elections and is seeking a second term, while the Congress is trying to stage a comeback. The BJP is the third player in the contest. The elections are due early next year, and the Election Commission has not yet announced the schedule.