Harbhajan Singh Among AAP MPs Who Resigned Amid Political Turmoil

New Delhi. Among the seven MPs who have left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is former cricketer turned politician Harbhajan Singh. He was appointed as a Rajya Sabha MP on April 10, 2022, representing Punjab. News of AAP's internal split began circulating in Punjab's political circles early Friday morning. Upon learning of this, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took immediate action, as he played a significant role in Harbhajan's nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

Attempts to Reach Harbhajan Go Unanswered

Sources indicate that as soon as Bhagwant Mann became aware of Harbhajan Singh's departure from AAP, he attempted to contact him around 12:30 PM. However, Harbhajan did not answer the calls. Mann reportedly tried multiple times to reach him, but none of his calls were returned.

Currently, Harbhajan Singh is in Mumbai, working as a commentator for the IPL.

Harbhajan's political journey began in 2022 after he retired from cricket and joined AAP. In March 2022, he was nominated by AAP for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, and he was elected unopposed, taking his oath as an MP on July 18, 2022.

Kejriwal Had Foreseen the Split

Bhagwant Mann expressed strong disapproval regarding Harbhajan Singh's exit from AAP. He had received information around noon that several MPs were leaving the party. Subsequently, at 12:25 PM, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about changing his residence, stating, “Recently, the central government allocated me a house as the national convenor of AAP, following a court order. I have now moved into that house with my family.”

Kejriwal previously resided at 5 Feroz Shah Road, which belonged to Ashok Mittal. Upon learning that Mittal was leaving AAP, Kejriwal vacated the premises immediately.

Mann Labels Resigning MPs as Traitors

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has labeled all MPs leaving AAP, including Harbhajan, as traitors and criticized the BJP. He stated that the BJP is unable to win elections in Punjab, resorting instead to “manipulative politics.” He referred to this as 'washing machine politics,' where leaders from other parties are coerced into joining.

During a press conference, Mann accused the BJP of attempting to destabilize AAP and betraying the people of Punjab.

He remarked, “When they found nothing against me, they tried to break AAP.” Mann had just returned from a week-long trip to the Netherlands and Finland aimed at attracting investment to Punjab.

Targeting the BJP, Mann said, “They are troubled by the fact that I am becoming a leader of the people.”

He emphasized that the people of Punjab stand firmly with AAP, asserting that the party is larger than any individual, and the 6-7 members who left do not represent the entire state.

It is noteworthy that on Friday, AAP MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal announced their departure from the party. Raghav Chadha stated that two-thirds of AAP's ten MPs are leaving, including Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, and Vikramjeet Sahni.