Chadha further claimed that state resources were being deployed to threaten dissenting voices. “The Punjab government has hired agencies and is using public funds to intimidate us, including through social media,” he alleged.
In a parallel move, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is also scheduled to meet President Murmu on the same day at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mann has called his meeting with the President crucial to safeguarding the “mandate of the people of Punjab” and upholding democratic values.
Pathak said he has not received any formal or informal communication regarding the two FIRs, and that media reports remain his only source of information so far.
"Anybody is welcome. Raghav Chadha is also welcome. Slowly, slowly people are getting clarity and returning to the right path," Rathore said.
Chadha, along with six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs - Swati Maliwal, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahney - merged with the BJP, citing differences with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
Hazare said shifting political allegiance for personal interests is “not right” and goes against the spirit of public service. He added, “Leaving one party and joining another is not right. Changing political parties for selfish needs is not the right thing.
Sources say the development opens opportunities for the BJP in a state where the party has traditionally struggled to establish a strong foothold independently. By inducting leaders with established local networks—someone like Raghav Chadha, who was seen as a de facto CM in the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab before things went awry—it is a smart, calculated expansion strategy ahead of the polls.
Party leaders are now engaged in internal deliberations to assess the impact of the split and chalk out a response strategy. The developments have triggered concern within AAP over its position in the Upper House and the broader political implications.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the party had now turned into “Arvind Akele ki Party,” pointing to a string of past exits by senior leaders including Yogendra Yadav, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Ashutosh, Alka Lamba and Rajendra Pal Gautam, many of whom later joined different political parties.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring warned that the crisis could deepen, claiming that up to 50 AAP MLAs might also consider switching sides.
