Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday launched a sharp attack on AAP MP Raghav Chadha, questioning his silence on key issues in Parliament and suggesting that he may be “compromised” for going against the party line.
Responding to queries at a press conference, Mann said that failing to speak on important matters—such as alleged voter list issues in West Bengal, arrests of AAP leaders in Gujarat, or participating in collective actions like walkouts—amounts to violating the party whip.
His remarks came a day after Chadha said he had been “silenced, not defeated,” following his removal as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party has since accused Chadha of avoiding confrontation with the Centre and focusing on less critical issues.
Backing Mann’s criticism, AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda questioned whether a leader who “fears” Prime Minister Narendra Modi can effectively represent public interests.
Mann said it is routine for parties to reshuffle leadership roles in Parliament and cited past examples within AAP to underline that such decisions are part of organisational functioning. However, he stressed that any deviation from the party’s collective decisions would invite action.
“If someone does not follow the party line or disobeys the whip, then action will be taken,” he said, adding that raising trivial issues instead of key policy concerns raises questions about intent.
The Punjab chief minister also highlighted that AAP would strongly raise the issue of alleged arrests of its volunteers in Gujarat with the state government, calling them “false cases”.
On other issues, Mann responded to a recent blast outside the BJP office in Chandigarh by saying that blame is often directed at him unfairly for incidents in the city.
He also touched upon governance, presenting what he described as a “report card” of his government’s four-year tenure. Mann said over 65,000 government jobs have been provided, including significant recruitment in education, police, power, and health sectors, all on a merit basis.
He added that more than seven lakh jobs have been generated in the private sector during this period and announced plans to increase the strength of the Punjab Police to 1.25 lakh by creating 10,000 additional posts.
Taking a swipe at political opponents, Mann said earlier predictions that his government would not last have proven wrong, asserting that the AAP remains committed to strengthening its governance and aiming to make Punjab a leading state across sectors.
