Chandigarh, Apr 25 (PTI) There is a need for better coordination and continuous dialogue between the Aam Aadmi Party leadership and its MLAs, MPs and ministers in Punjab, its Lok Sabha member Malvinder Singh Kang said on Saturday, a day after AAP’s six out of seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the state defected to the BJP.
The AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib also said that the party should have considered party workers and volunteers from Punjab for the Rajya Sabha.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power only in Punjab, plunged into a major crisis on Friday after its seven out of 10 MPs in the Upper House announced they were merging with the BJP. The party has said it will seek their disqualification from the Rajya Sabha.
Kang said that Sandeep Pathak, who was among those who joined the BJP, had once told him that he had not been contacted by the party for the past one year.
Pathak, a former IIT Delhi professor, was credited with drafting election and campaign strategy and building the party organisation. Once considered close to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Pathak played a significant role in the party’s 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
“Sandeep had told me that he had not been contacted in the past one year. Had he been contacted regularly, he would not have left the party,” Kang said.
Kang emphasised the need for better coordination and continuous dialogue between the party leadership and legislators, ministers and MPs.
“Feedback should be taken from the right persons, and those workers who are working at the ground level should be empowered,” he further said.
On Friday, MPs Raghav Chadha and Pathak announced that they were “merging” with the BJP along with five other Rajya Sabha members.
Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney (all from Punjab) and Swati Maliwal were the other AAP MPs they named.
The development, which came ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly polls, has also exposed the faultlines within the AAP unit, amid opposition’s allegations that AAP leaders from Delhi, including Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, were calling the shots in Punjab.
Opposition party leaders claimed that there may be several AAP MLAs who may jump the “sinking ship” in coming time, but AAP insiders rejected such suggestions and asserted that their party is united.
The defection came as a crippling blow to the Arvind-Kejriwal-led outfit which was gearing up for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls.
Pathak’s exit is particularly a cause of concern for the ruling party in the state as he has been credited with building the party’s organisational structure in Punjab. However, his role in the party diminished after Sisodia was brought in as the party’s in-charge for Punjab.
Though many leaders were not surprised after Chadha and Mittal announced their decision to quit AAP, they did not anticipate four other MPs from the state joining them.
The premises of Mittal, Chancellor of the Lovely Professional University, were raided by the Enforcement Directorate a few days ago.
AAP has accused the BJP-led central government of misusing federal agencies against the rival leaders, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying that the BJP is unsettled by Punjab’s progress.
A senior AAP leader said the party’s volunteers and party workers, who work at the ground level, stand firmly with the party.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said Punjab and Punjabis have repeatedly defeated those who tried to dominate them.
“Those who attempted to capture Punjab have always been taught a lesson. The BJP cannot win Punjab by intimidating or threatening people. The 3 crore Punjabis are aware of the work being done by the AAP government led by Bhagwant Singh Mann,” he said. PTI CHS SUN RT RT
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