Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has sought time with President Droupadi Murmu to flag alleged “targeted action” against former AAP MPs who merged with the BJP last month.
According to sources cited by ANI news agency, Chadha will meet the President to flag the reported misuse of Punjab’s state machinery for “political vendetta.” Murmu has granted time to Chadha and three other MPs at 10.40 am on May 5, the sources said.
Chadha, along with Rajya Sabha MPs Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Swati Maliwal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, and Rajinder Gupta left the Aam Aadmi Party and merged with the BJP in the Upper House. This allowed them to retain their Rajya Sabha membership, given the 2/3rds exception provided by the anti-defection law.
Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann is also due to meet the President on May 5. Mann has been granted time at 12 pm for the same, with the Punjab CM saying he will “strongly present the voice of Punjab” before the President, PTI news agency reported. Mann has sought time to demand a “recall” of the AAP MPs who merged with the BJP.
FIRs against Sandeep Pathak, raid at Rajinder Gupta’s Trident Limited
Two FIRs were filed against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak in Punjab, days after he left the AAP and switched over to the BJP. The FIRs, further details of which have not been revealed yet, have been registered under non-bailable sections, government sources said, according to an earlier HT report.
“Punjab Police is making efforts to arrest the accused as FIRs have been registered under non-bailable sections,” the sources said. Amid reports regarding the FIRs, Pathak was seen leaving his Delhi residence on Saturday. While no official confirmation was provided on the complaints, Pathak, when questioned on the same, told ANI he had “no idea of any FIR against me.”
Meanwhile, the Punjab Pollution Control Board had conducted a raid at the premises of Trident Limited earlier this week on April 30. Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta, one of the MPs who left AAP, is the founder and chairman emeritus of the company.
Prior to this, the Punjab government had also withdrawn the security cover of MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh.
BJP alleges ‘political vendetta’ after FIRs
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, in a post on X, accused the AAP of “double standards.” “Those whom your leader was calling the apple of his eye just a few days ago, today, as soon as they switch parties, flaws start appearing in them. Isn’t this proof of Aam Aadmi Party’s double standards?” Jakhar questioned.
Speaking to reporters, Jakhar further said that the BJP was not intimidated by the FIRs, and asserting that the party stands firmly by its leaders. The Punjab BJP president said he does not have the complete details of the FIRs, but stated that “one is regarding giving a threat to someone and another is about corruption charges”, PTI reported.