"Aur lado aapas mein...": Omar Abdullah Takes a Jab at Congress and AAP Amidst BJP's Delhi Victory

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, on Saturday took an apparent veiled jab at the INDIA alliance, especially targeting the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). His comments followed early leads showing a significant victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Delhi Assembly elections.

After the BJP appeared to be on track to win nearly 50 out of Delhi's 70 Assembly seats, Abdullah shared a social media post that included a GIF with the message: "aur lado, jee bhar ke lado, samapt kar do ek dusre ko" (fight some more, fight to your heart's content, finish each other off). Accompanying the GIF, the National Conference leader emphasized: "aur lado aapas mein" (keep fighting with each other).

The Congress and AAP, despite being in an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections, chose to contest the Delhi Assembly elections separately. This decision led to harsh exchanges between the two parties, with accusations flying over each other's loyalty. Both parties even accused each other of being a "B-team" of the BJP. This internal conflict mirrored the tensions within the opposition, with the Congress facing backlash after its disappointing loss in Haryana. Despite expectations of a victory, the Congress only managed to win 37 of Haryana's 90 Assembly seats, reportedly due to AAP’s influence in several constituencies.

Omar Abdullah had previously commented on the INDIA alliance's internal issues, saying last month that there was a lack of clarity regarding its leadership and agenda. He questioned the alliance's future, suggesting it should be dissolved if it was formed solely for the Lok Sabha elections. 

The situation surrounding the INDIA bloc appeared to be worsening following a crushing defeat in Maharashtra, where the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena were routed in the November elections. 

Abdullah also noted that Congress should not take its leadership role in the alliance for granted. "By virtue of being the single largest party in Parliament, and also having the leader of opposition in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the fact that they have a pan-India footprint, which no other party can lay claim to, they are natural sort of leaders of an opposition movement," he stated. However, he added, "Yet there is a sense of disquiet among some of the allies because they feel the Congress is not doing enough to justify it or to earn it or to keep it. That's something the Congress might wish to consider."

As early leads showed the BJP crossing the majority mark, the election results indicated a possible setback for AAP’s hopes of a third consecutive victory in Delhi. Exit polls had predicted a BJP win, but AAP had remained hopeful of continuing its dominance in the national capital.