New Delhi

Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab, on Tuesday urged President Droupadi Murmu to cancel the membership of seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs who recently defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party, calling the merger “unconstitutional” and contrary to democratic principles.

Speaking after meeting the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mann argued that seven out of AAP’s ten members in the Upper House could not simply declare themselves a separate group and merge with another party. He said those unhappy with AAP should have resigned first and then sought a fresh mandate from voters.

Mann said he had informed the President that democracy in Punjab was being “made a mockery of” and questioned how the BJP, which has only two MLAs in the state assembly, had suddenly gained multiple Rajya Sabha members from Punjab. He also suggested that if the Constitution lacks a recall mechanism in such situations, Parliament should consider an amendment.

The controversy follows the defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal. Their merger reportedly increased the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha to 113 seats, while AAP’s tally dropped to three.

Meanwhile, Chadha also met President Murmu and alleged “vendetta politics” by the Punjab government. He claimed state agencies were being used to intimidate the seven former AAP MPs and alleged he could be the “next target.”

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Earlier in the day, Mann, while speaking in Karnal, questioned whether individuals become “above the law” after joining the BJP, reiterating that constitutional norms must prevail over political expediency.