Chandigarh, April 24: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday issued a scathing response to the defection of seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha members to the BJP, describing the move as a direct betrayal of the Punjabi electorate. Speaking at a press conference in Chandigarh shortly after returning from a foreign tour, the Chief Minister maintained that the organization remains superior to any individual interests.
The Chief Minister asserted that those who left the party did so to protect their own interests rather than to serve the public. He noted that these representatives were granted their positions by the party without having to campaign for votes directly from the people. Mann affirmed that such individuals would likely be marginalized within their new political home, citing the current status of other leaders who previously joined the BJP.
“I have always said that the BJP does not meet Punjabis; it tries to break anything that makes Punjabis happy,” the Chief Minister stated. He maintained that the federal government has consistently acted against the state’s interests, pointing to the withholding of Rural Development Fund (RDF) payments and the BJP’s stance during past farmers’ protests as evidence of a pattern of betrayal.
Mann further declared that the BJP’s actions are driven by a lack of a strong political base in Punjab and a fear of his government’s administrative success. He affirmed that recent surveys likely indicated a weak position for the BJP in the state, prompting the attempt to destabilize the ruling party. Punjabis love from the heart, but if someone betrays them, they remember for generations, Mann affirmed.
