Politics often punishes misreading the public mood more severely than making an ideological mistake. The latest controversy surrounding the nationwide student agitation appears to have done exactly that for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). What was perhaps intended as an attempt to expose Congress's political opportunism has instead left AAP facing criticism from sections of the protest movement, discomfort among opposition parties and fresh attacks from the BJP. The episode has revived an old question: Is AAP's determination to occupy the Congress space inadvertently helping the BJP while weakening opposition unity?

The controversy erupted after Leader of the Opposition; Rahul Gandhi staged a dharna outside the Prime Minister's residence in support of the students' demands. Instead of welcoming another major opposition party joining the agitation, AAP leaders launched a sharp attack. They questioned why, according to them, two Union Ministers and senior officials responded to Rahul Gandhi within an hour when the government had ignored the month-long agitation at Jantar Mantar. They further alleged that Rahul Gandhi was more interested in drawing people away from the students' movement than strengthening it.

Politically, however, the attack produced precisely the opposite result.

A Narrative That Collapsed Within Hours

Within hours of Rahul Gandhi's protest, he was detained and forcibly dragged by the police, generating considerable political sympathy. More significantly, the organisers of the student movement publicly supported Rahul Gandhi and appealed to AAP not to damage the larger struggle by attacking fellow opposition parties. Their message was unambiguous: the movement welcomed support from every political party willing to stand with the students and saw no merit in opposition infighting.

The reaction left AAP on the defensive. Instead of exposing Congress, it appeared to have isolated itself from a section of the movement whose support it had hoped to retain.

Many protesters subsequently argued that if Rahul Gandhi's intervention could bring national attention to their demands, every opposition party should intensify rather than dilute the pressure on the Modi government. They urged AAP to launch........

© Free Press Journal