AAP MPs’ shift to BJP a move at right time: Jakhar

Chandigarh: Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Friday said Raghav Chadha and six other Rajya Sabha MPs "chose to leave the sinking ship of AAP and joined the BJP at the right time".

Welcoming the AAP MPs into the party fold, Jakhar posted on X, "Due to AAP's poor governance, corruption and lack of law and order, the people of Punjab have already lost faith in the party. At the same time, after the party abandoned public interest, even well-meaning individuals within it are being compelled to leave."



Another senior BJP leader, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, dismissed the AAP's "Operation Lotus" claims, stating, "Our ‘Operation Lotus' exists there among the people who believe in us. People believe in the lotus, our poll symbol, and want to support us. There is nothing more to it, and there is no politics involved."

Senior BJP leader and minister in the Delhi govt Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "Morally, nothing is left for the AAP."

"Among those who have quit and joined the BJP is Sandeep Pathak, the AAP organisational general secretary and the second most important leader after the party convener," he added.

Hitting back at chief minister Bhagwant Mann's criticism of the BJP for breaking opposition parties and taking their leaders, Sirsa said the AAP was "well known for bringing leaders from other parties". He cited the cases of leaders like Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and Pawan Kumar Tinu, who left the SAD and joined the AAP.

Sirsa also cited the example of Dr Raj Kumar shifting his allegiance from the Congress to the AAP.

On AAP allegations that Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids were used to force Ashok Mittal, one of the AAP MPs who joined the BJP on Friday, to shift his allegiance, the BJP leader said, "The agencies do their job without any political interference."

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, "The exodus of seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the AAP to the BJP was a long time in the coming." He added, "A large number of AAP legislators will also join the BJP soon."

Majithia further said, "The AAP came to power on the promise of changing the system, but got embroiled in corruption and scams. First, the founding members of AAP left it, and now leaders like Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, who were the architects of the AAP in Punjab, have quit the party along with five other MPs."

Claiming that a large number of AAP legislators were likely to join the BJP in the coming days, Majithia said, "The beginning will be made from Jalandhar and Ludhiana, and a situation may arise when the AAP turns into a minority govt and falls."

Emphasising that AAP itself was responsible for this state of affairs, the Akali leader asked, "Why did the CM bestow Rajya Sabha seats to outsiders?"

MSID:: 130498343 413 |
Get real-time updates and result insights on the UBSE UK Board Results 2026 and CBSE 12th Result 2026