Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann with AAP MLAs talks to the media after a meeting with the party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the Kapurthala House, in New Delhi, on February 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) rubbished Congress’s claim of dissent in the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) State unit, asserting dedication of its leaders and workers.
His remarks comes after AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with CM Mann, Punjab Ministers and MLAs at Kapurthala House in Delhi amid rumours of dissent in the party’s Punjab unit.
Mr. Mann said during the meeting that Mr. Kejriwal thanked all Punjab Ministers and MLAs for campaigning in the Delhi Assembly polls.
Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa recently claimed that over 30 AAP MLAs were in touch with the Congress and could switch sides.
Mr. Bajwa claimed these MLAs have realised that staying with AAP may not be politically beneficial in the long run.
Hitting out at claims of the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, CM Mann said, “Bajwa has been saying this. He should not count our MLAs and instead see how many MLAs Congress has in Delhi.” Mr. Mann asserted that the AAP leaders are a “dedicated lot with no greed”.
“He (Bajwa) has been making claims earlier also that 20 MLAs or 40 MLAs are in touch with him. Let them say it. We have formed this party with our sweat and blood going among people in the villages and towns in the state,” Mr. Mann said.
Mr. Mann said that Punjab will be presented as a model State of development before the country ahead of the next Assembly polls in the State.
Earlier, AAP leaders said that the discussions are focused on reviewing AAP’s performance in the recent Delhi elections and planning for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls. Senior leaders, including Punjab MPs Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, are also attending the meeting.
Punjab’s Sangrur MLA Narinder Kaur dismissed reports of internal dissent, calling it a routine meeting. “We accept the people’s mandate in Delhi and will play the role of a strong opposition. Such meetings have happened before, both in Punjab and Delhi,” she said.
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Ms. Kaur also criticised the Congress for alleging dissent in AAP. “The Congress should reflect on why their party, which ruled for so many years, got zero seats in Delhi. We can manage our party on our own,” she added.
AAP, which had governed Delhi for a decade, suffered a major setback in the February 5 elections, winning only 22 seats out of 70 in the Assembly elections. The BJP’s victory ended AAP’s rule in the capital, raising concerns over the party’s future.
There are also speculations that Mr. Kejriwal may play a bigger role in Punjab politics, with discussions about him contesting from the vacant Ludhiana Assembly seat. However, AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang downplayed such reports, calling the meeting a “routine strategy session”.
Published – February 11, 2025 12:57 pm IST