New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Singh rejected the claims made by the Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa that 30 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators might switch sides. Taking a jab at the Congress, Mann pointed to the poor performance of the grand old party in the Delhi Assembly polls.
"I would ask Pratap Singh Bajwa to count how many MLAs they have in Delhi... The law and order of Punjab is better than most states... We have to put in extra effort being a border state, and we are doing that," Mann said while interacting with reporters.
#WATCH | Delhi: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann says, "... I would ask Pratap Singh Bajwa to count how many MLAs they have in Delhi... The law and order of Punjab is better than most states... We have to put in extra effort being a border state, and we are doing that..." pic.twitter.com/HsMLsAeETF
— ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2025
Earlier on Tuesday morning the Punjab CM met AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the Kapurthala House in New Delhi. Mann told reporters that Kejriwal thanked AAP's Punjab MLAs for campaigning for him in the Delhi polls.
“Our MLAs reached here and we had a meeting with party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He thanked them all for campaigning during the Delhi Assembly elections. Our government in Punjab has always worked for the public welfare whether it’s in education or infrastructure sectors,” Mann said.
“We need to speed up… Winning and losing is a part of the game. People of Delhi still remember us as someone who worked for them. We have two years more in Punjab. We will make Punjab a good model,” he added.
VIDEO | Delhi: After a meeting with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) while addressing the media says, “Our MLAs reached here and we had a meeting with party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He thanked them all for campaigning during… pic.twitter.com/GtwMQyxFwe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 11, 2025
On Monday Bajwa claimed that 30 MLAs in Punjab were in touch with him. Following the Aam Aadmi Party's loss in the Delhi Assembly polls, Bajwa had claimed that an internal power struggle would ensue between Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly had also claimed that more than 30 AAP MLAs were in touch with the Congress and ready to switch sides.
Reacting to Bjawa’s claims, AAP MP from Punjab Malvinder Singh Kang hit out at the Congress leader. “Are all Congress MLAs in touch with you? If they are, where is Sandeep Jakhar (suspended Abohar MLA)? Why did Raj Kumar Chabbewal leave the party?" Chabbewal, who is now an AAP MP, had switched over from the Congress last year,” the AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib said as reported by PTI.
The AAP has 93 MLAs in the 117-member Punjab assembly, while there are 16 Congress legislators.