Chandigarh, April 24 (IANS) Reacting to the departure of two-thirds of AAP Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament, Punjab BJP working President Ashwani Sharma on Friday said that the development raised serious concerns about Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership and reflects his increasingly authoritarian style of functioning.

He said that such “large-scale exits expose the deep cracks within the party and indicate growing dissent against Kejriwal’s way of running the organisation”. Sharma further criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, calling him a “puppet” who, as usual, tried to divert attention from the real issue by making irrelevant statements instead of addressing the concerns being raised.

Sharma also said that the manner in which Swati Maliwal was insulted, along with the controversy surrounding Raghav Chadha, “are serious issues that will not be forgotten easily by the people”. Targeting the AAP government, Sharma, in a statement, said that for the past four and a half years, Punjab has been a victim of deception under the leadership of Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party.

He added that the people of Punjab had voted with the hope that the state would be governed by Punjabis themselves, but instead, they have witnessed the opposite.

Meanwhile, state party president Sunil Jakhar welcomed the Rajya Sabha members who joined the BJP, stating that this “will not only strengthen the party in Punjab but also mark the beginning of the decline of AAP”, which he described as one of the shortest-lived active parties in the country.

In a message shared on social media, Jakhar wrote, “A warm welcome to all the MPs who have left the sinking ship of AAP in time and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Due to poor governance, corruption, and lawlessness under AAP, the people of Punjab have become disillusioned with the party. Moreover, after the party abandoned public interest, even good people within it are now being compelled to leave.”

Jakhar said that due to its flawed policies, the AAP government has distanced itself from the people. “Because of this inexperienced government, lawlessness and corruption have reached their peak in the state today, and people no longer feel safe. Gangsterism and drugs are consuming the youth”.

He further added that the “remote control” system within AAP does not allow capable individuals to function, as all control is centralised.

–IANS

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