'Ek tha Joker': Cong leader slams Punjab CM on 'Ek thi Congress' remark

In a counter to Mann's remarks, Congress leader Pawan Khera took to X where he wrote 'Ek tha Joker' as he recalled it to be the name of a bhojpuri movie, and in a mockery asked "Apne toh dekhi hogi? (You might have watched it?)

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's comments about the declining political stature of the Congress has sparked a war of words, with the grand old party hitting back at the AAP leader with a jibe of their own.

The war of words that started when Mann remarked 'Ek thi Congress', suggesting that the grand old party had been relegated to the history books, and the exchange continued on Tuesday, with Congress leader Pawan Khera writing 'Ek tha Joker' in a post on X, in an apparent jibe at the Punjab CM.

Khera took to X where he referred to the Bhojpuri movie Ek tha Joker, and in a mockery, asked "Apne toh dekhi hogi (You might have watched it)?"

The Congress leader further asserted that the AAP and the BJP were similar in their views, insofar as both wanted a Congress-free India.

On Monday, Mann took a jibe at the grand old party and remarked that the "Congress has been relegated to history, both in the state and Delhi." The Punjab CM was addressing a press conference where he was asked about the seat adjustment with the I.N.D.I.A bloc, for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Reacting to a query on Congress leaders reportedly alerting the party high command about the electoral risks arising out of its alliance with AAP, and that such decisions would wipe out Congress, Mann had stated, "Te hun ki hoya hai unada (Is their state of affairs any different now)?".

On another question about Punjab Congress leaders' reluctance in forming an alliance with AAP, Mann had said, “In Punjab and Delhi, mothers can tell the world's shortest story to their children - Ek Thi Cong (there was once a Congress).”

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal recently scrapped plans to extend the party's footprint across India, and said that AAP only looks forward to campaign for Lok Sabha elections and work towards securing seats as part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.

AAP and the Congress are among the 28 constituents of the I.N.D.I.A bloc that is looking to score a victory over BJP in the upcoming general elections.