For BJP, AAP’s rise ‘not a threat to party’ at national level

For the AAP to emerge as an alternative to the saffron party, the BJP leaders said, it should win “at least 100 Lok Sabha seats”.

AAP’s growth as a party — winning two state assemblies with splendid mandate — will also mean that the anti-BJP votes will get further divided, the BJP leaders said.

“In the next 20 years, like the Congress has taken the centre stage as a stable national party in the past, the BJP will be there. The anti-BJP space is opening up and with the Congress’ ability to retain its relevance as a binding force for the opposition being doubtful, it (AAP) can be in that space. However, to emerge as an alternative to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it should win at least 100 seats in the Lok Sabha,” said P Muralidhar Rao, senior BJP leader.

However, at least two leaders The Indian Express spoke to pointed out that the AAP’s “strategies and its methods” are similar to that of the BJP in its pursuit to become a “party with a development agenda”.

“The AAP indulges in the welfare politics and is rallying behind a strong and charismatic leader. It also attracts the weaker sections, the voters from these sections have shown trust in him. So in the long run it is not going to be good news for us. But certainly, we cannot predict what will happen in between,” said an office-bearer of the BJP.

However, the BJP leaders admitted that AAP’s increasing appeal among the women and weaker sections could make it a formidable force, if they persist.

The leaders also pointed out that after making history in Punjab, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party could move to Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat which are going to polls later this year. “With its governments in Delhi and Punjab, it will try its luck in neighbouring Haryana and Himachal Pradesh also,” said a party MP.

“The AAP also tries to woo the voters with welfare politics but the BJP has mastered it. We have mobilised the beneficiaries and enjoy their trust in the party. So AAP cannot be a threat to the BJP in it,” said Anil Jain, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP.

BJP leaders argued that to become a stable alternative to the BJP, the AAP should start with at least 50 seats.

“Mamata Banerjee or M K Stalin can emerge, because their states have 41 and 39 (Lok Sabha seats respectively). But both Punjab and Delhi put together, there are only 20 seats. At the end of the day, it’s all arithmetics. At the most you can be a (former Prime Ministers) H D Deve Gowda or I K Gujral,” said Jain.

The BJP leaders also said the emergence of a “new star” in the opposition space would “stabilise” the BJP more as the “anti-BJP votes would have one more claimant and would get divided”.

“Opposition to BJP has a new formidable star rising to compete with others. It’s not against the BJP, his race is among the opposition leaders,” Rao said.