AAP Punjab alleges ‘backstabbing’ as Raghav Chadha joins BJP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to split its ranks by using former leader Raghav Chadha, a charge the BJP denied as baseless. The allegations were made by AAP Punjab chief spokesperson Baltej Pannu, who claimed that efforts were being made to weaken the party’s presence in Parliament. The BJP responded by calling the claims untrue.

Addressing a press conference, Pannu alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was attempting to influence AAP MPs through Chadha. He said the aim was to reduce the party’s strength and voice in Parliament. Pannu maintained that AAP lawmakers remain united despite these claims.

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“Our party has reports that Amit Shah has told Raghav Chadha that if he breaks seven MPs, then he will be made a Minister,” Pannu alleged.

He further claimed that central agencies were being used to pressure AAP leaders. “Through the central agencies like ED, they (BJP) want to terrorise and put pressure on our MPs, but they will not succeed,” he said.

The remarks come after AAP replaced Chadha with Ashok Mittal as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. Chadha had recently said he was “silenced, not defeated”, which led to criticism from the party. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also said he believes Chadha is “compromised”.

Pannu said attempts to break the party had been ongoing since it came to power in Punjab. “Ever since AAP came to power, regular attempts have been made to break it -- be it through attempts to 'buy' our MLAs, use threats...but they remained firm as they had joined the party under a mission,” he said.

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He also alleged misuse of agencies during elections. “Wherever polls are near, the BJP government uses agencies like ED, CBI to target political opponents,” he said. “We saw how the BJP government got cases registered even against our top leaders, and many were sent to jail. But nothing came out of these cases.”

Pannu linked recent enforcement actions to pressure on AAP MPs. He said the party had supported Chadha’s rise but accused him of acting against it. “But at the BJP's and Shah's behest, Chadha is backstabbing the party. But this is Punjab. People do not forgive, and Chadha should understand this,” he said.

He added that despite BJP’s plans for the 2027 Punjab elections, voters would respond to what he described as attacks on the state government. Pannu also criticised opposition parties, saying they were unable to counter AAP’s work in governance.

Responding to the allegations, Punjab BJP leader Vineet Joshi rejected them. “AAP is levelling such baseless allegations,” Joshi said, calling them a “bundle of lies”.