The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday continued its protests against the defection of seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, holding demonstrations outside a unit of Trident Group owned by Rajinder Gupta at Dhaula village on the Barnala-Mansa Road, and in Kotkapura town of Faridkot district.
Speaker Condemns Defection
Addressing party workers in Kotkapura, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, “Those who turned from ‘aam’ to ‘khas’ are traitors. AAP is for the common person who wishes good for Punjab, and if the MPs from the party join hands with anti-Punjabi BJP, it cannot be tolerated.” Protesters burnt effigies of the seven Rajya Sabha members near the AAP office in the town.
Protest in Bathinda
In Bathinda, the protest was led by Bhadaur MLA Labh Singh Ugoke. While Gupta resides in Ludhiana, his company operates units in Dhaula and Sanghera villages, near Barnala town. Ugoke said, “The AAP sent Gupta along with other prominent personalities to Rajya Sabha to raise issues of Punjab, but they deceived the state by switching sides. Punjabis will never tolerate this.” He announced his intention to question Gupta whenever he visits Barnala.
Background of Rajinder Gupta
Rajinder Gupta was elected as a Rajya Sabha member in October 2025 after Sanjeev Arora vacated the seat. On October 4, 2025, Gupta resigned as the vice-chairman of the Punjab State Economy and Planning Board, a coveted post he held across successive governments, including the SAD-BJP regime and the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh, with cabinet rank.
