In a major setback to the unity of the opposition bloc, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded that Congress be removed from the INDIA alliance unless the party takes action against its Delhi leader, Ajay Maken. AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh accused Maken of helping the BJP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, claiming that Maken's statements were made at the BJP's behest. The dispute intensified when Maken called AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal "anti-national," a comment that AAP deemed outrageous.

Sanjay Singh also pointed out that the Congress has never labeled any BJP leader as "anti-national" and criticized the Congress for aligning with the BJP in its actions, especially ahead of the crucial Delhi elections. He recalled the mutual campaigning between AAP and Congress during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, only to be overshadowed by a complete BJP sweep in Delhi.

The conflict between AAP and Congress in Delhi is not new. AAP had previously attempted to forge an alliance with Congress for the Haryana Assembly elections, but Congress declined, and the two parties have remained political rivals in Delhi and Punjab. AAP now claims that Congress's actions in the lead-up to the Delhi polls show it has aligned with the BJP, particularly with its recent filing of a police complaint against AAP leaders while never filing a similar complaint against the BJP.

Ajay Maken responded by releasing a "white paper" criticizing AAP and BJP for their governance failures in Delhi. He accused Arvind Kejriwal of not fulfilling his anti-corruption promises, specifically in regard to setting up a Janlokpal. Despite being part of the INDIA alliance, AAP and Congress remain bitter rivals in Delhi, where AAP ended Congress's 15-year rule in the capital.