Workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged protests on Saturday outside the residences of Rajya Sabha MPs Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta, days after they quit the party and joined the BJP. The demonstrations took place in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, where protesters raised slogans accusing the leaders of betraying Punjab. Some workers also spray-painted the word “Gaddar” (traitor) on boundary walls of the MPs’ residences.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a jolt on Friday as seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, quit the party, with Chadha saying all of them had merged with the BJP.

Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni and Swati Maliwal were the other four parliamentarians in the group of seven. Their move came as a surprise to many, as the exits were disclosed at a hurriedly called press conference at Constitution Club in central Delhi, after which AAP chief Kejriwal alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had betrayed the people of Punjab while state Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed the seven MPs "gaddar" (traitors).

Of the seven MPs, six come from Punjab, including Chadha, Pathak, Mittal, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahni, and Harbhajan Singh, while Swati Maliwal is from Delhi.

AAP leaders and workers alleged that the defections were orchestrated by the BJP to weaken the party in Punjab. During the protests, demonstrators shouted slogans such as “Punjab de Gaddar,” accusing the defectors of betraying the public mandate.

In Jalandhar, AAP leader Pawan Kumar Tinu claimed the BJP was attempting to destabilise the party ahead of future elections. He said AAP would return to power in Punjab in 2027 and accused rival parties, including the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal, of working together against AAP.

Separately, AAP Punjab Youth Wing acting president Parminder Goldy led a protest outside Gupta’s residence in Ludhiana. He said the people of Punjab would not forgive what he described as a breach of trust by the defecting MPs.

Goldy also accused the BJP of targeting AAP due to its governance model and popularity under party chief Arvind Kejriwal. He said attempts to weaken the party would fail as its cadre remained united.

AAP leaders reiterated that the party continues to stand firm despite the defections, maintaining that those who switch sides will ultimately be judged by voters in Punjab.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Saturday said that the party will write to the Rajya Sabha chairman and vice president seeking the disqualification of seven of its MPs, who quit the party a day ago, from the Upper House, calling their move "unconstitutional and illegal".

Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now