In a politically charged development, BJP MP Raghav Chadha is set to meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 to raise concerns over alleged misuse of state machinery in Punjab to target MPs who recently switched from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sources said on Sunday.
Chadha is expected to brief the President on ‘a pattern of political vendetta’ by the Punjab government, particularly against leaders who have exited AAP and aligned with the BJP. His request comes amid escalating tensions following recent political realignments in the Rajya Sabha.
Last month, Chadha, along with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, resigned from AAP and joined the BJP. Other prominent figures who made a similar switch include Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta.
Punjab CM also seeks meeting with President
In a parallel move, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is also scheduled to meet President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the same day. Mann has called his meeting with the President crucial to safeguarding the “mandate of the people of Punjab” and upholding democratic values.
FIRs against Sandeep Pathak trigger political storm
The controversy intensified after the Punjab Police registered two FIRs against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak in separate districts. The cases reportedly include non-bailable charges, though specific details of the allegations remain undisclosed.
The timing of these FIRs, soon after Pathak’s switch to the BJP, has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who allege political motivation behind the action.
Opposition calls it ‘vendetta politics’
The BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have questioned the intent behind the FIRs, calling them an example of “vendetta politics.”
Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma accused the AAP government of weaponizing the police to suppress dissent. In a strongly worded statement, he alleged that the state was witnessing a breakdown of law and order, claiming that the use of non-bailable sections against a sitting MP exposed “fear and panic” within the ruling leadership.
He further alleged that the government led by Mann was turning Punjab into a “police state,” where dissent invites punitive action.
Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also criticised the AAP government, accusing it of selectively targeting leaders who fall out with the party. He questioned why no action was taken earlier when Pathak was closely associated with the AAP leadership, suggesting that the FIRs appeared to be linked to his change in political allegiance.
With both Raghav Chadha and Bhagwant Mann scheduled to meet the President on the same day, the confrontation between the BJP and AAP appears set to escalate further. The developments signal a deepening political rift in Punjab, with allegations of misuse of power and counterclaims of protecting democratic norms dominating the discourse.