Delhi Election: Congress Files Plaint With EC Against AAP's 'Dishonest' Poster Featuring Rahul Gandhi

The Delhi Congress filed a complaint with the Election Commission on Saturday over an AAP poster on social media that included Rahul Gandhi and others in a list of "dishonest" individuals.

The Congress alleged that the "defamatory poster" targeted Rahul Gandhi, AICC treasurer Ajay Maken, and Sandeep Dikshit, the party's candidate from the New Delhi constituency.

Photo Credit: PTI

The party urged the Election Commission to remove the post, warning that it would take the matter to court if no action was taken, reported India Today.

"There was a post by AAP, which had photos of Rahul Gandhi, Sandeep Dikshit and Ajay Maken. The said post described our leaders as corrupt, which is a malicious campaign. It shows AAP is losing. AAP ministers are themselves corrupt," said Sunil Kumar, chairman of the Delhi Congress Legal Cell.

"We requested the Election Commission to delete all the posts from social media. If we don't get relief from the Election Commission, we will approach the courts," he added.

This development comes as tensions between Congress and AAP have been simmering since they joined forces in Delhi during last year's Lok Sabha elections. Neither party managed to win a single seat in the national capital during the parliamentary polls. Both are now contesting separately in the February 5 Assembly elections.

On Saturday, the AAP poster carried the tagline, "Arvind Kejriwal's honesty will outweigh all the dishonest people," and featured photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Delhi BJP leaders. However, the inclusion of Rahul Gandhi signalled a clear escalation in hostilities.

"The post itself is in violation of the Model Code of Conduct as well as the provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act 1951. Furthermore, Kejriwal has been projected as an honest man and targeting senior Congress leaders such as Gandhi, Maken, and Sandeep Dikshit as dishonest people," the complaint stated.

The Congress also pointed to the recent imprisonment of several AAP leaders to argue that the party is far from honest.

"Hence, it is most respectfully submitted to take appropriate actions to put restraint to such campaign by AAP and orders may be passed to remove the concerned post from their social media handles," the complaint continued.

This exchange comes after Rahul Gandhi criticised Arvind Kejriwal's governance record, claiming that he could not match the achievements of former Delhi Chief Minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit.

Gandhi had previously accused Kejriwal of emulating Prime Minister Modi's "strategy of propaganda and false promises" while failing to tackle issues like rising pollution, corruption, and inflation in Delhi. In response, Kejriwal retorted that Gandhi was "fighting to save the Congress," whereas he was "fighting to save the country."

Delhi, which has 70 Assembly seats, will vote in a single phase on February 5, with results announced on February 8.

(With PTI inputs)