Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited Delhi on Tuesday to meet President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention in the matter of seven former Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs who recently shifted allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Expressing confidence in the President's role as the guardian of the Constitution, Mann said he believes she will listen to his concerns.
Meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan
CM Mann left for his meeting with President Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital later in the day. He raised the issue of the recent merger of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs into the BJP, including prominent figures such as Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal. The Chief Minister was accompanied by AAP MLAs to New Delhi, though the invitation from the Rashtrapati Bhavan was extended only to Bhagwant Mann. The convoy of CM Mann and other MLAs headed towards the national capital to meet the President.
CM Mann's Statement
"I think that the President will listen to us. The President is the guardian of the Constitution; she is the constitutional head of the country," CM Mann told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Punjab Minister's Demand
Punjab Minister Aman Arora stated that the state government demands the revocation of recognition for all AAP MPs who merged into the BJP. "The people of Punjab had placed their trust in some people through our MLAs, but they have now eroded their trust and left. They should be called back, their recognition should be revoked; this is our demand. I don't think Punjab will be such an easy state for the BJP. I don't think the people of Punjab will give any support to the BJP at all," Arora told ANI.
Another Minister's Criticism
Another Punjab Minister, Harpal Singh Cheema, called the defection a "BJP tactic to break the country's democracy," adding that all 95 AAP MLAs from the state would meet President Murmu. "All 95 MLAs of the AAP are going to meet the President of India. We will request her to exercise the powers given to her by the Constitution. The concept of recall should be exercised here. The BJP's attempt to break the democracy of the country, the attack on the democracy of the country, which the BJP has called, I believe that only Punjab can stop it, and Punjab will fight to restore this democracy," he said.
AAP MLA Denies Rumors
AAP MLA Vijay Singla dismissed rumors of his party MLAs moving to any other political bloc, stating that protesting against the seven Rajya Sabha MPs is their democratic right. "There is no question of any show of strength, there is no question of any connection. I think there is not even 1% truth that any of our MLAs are going here or there. These are total rumors; there is no truth in them. But protesting against those who have left the Rajya Sabha is our right in a democracy. The President, who is the first citizen of the country... All of us MLAs under the leadership of the Chief Minister are going to put forward our point of view," said Singla.
BJP MP Also Scheduled to Meet President
Apart from Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, BJP MP Raghav Chadha is also scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu, where he is likely to raise the issue of alleged targeting of AAP MPs merging with BJP in Punjab. The trio of MPs - Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal - parted ways with the AAP last month and subsequently joined the BJP in the presence of party leadership. Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Swati Maliwal had also switched to the BJP.
