Chandigarh, May 5 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with his party MLAs, departed for Delhi on Tuesday to meet President Droupadi Murmu over the recent defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP.

“Our struggle for the protection of Punjab’s rights and interests continues unabated,” CM Mann wrote on X.

“Today, we have set out in the company of all AAP MLAs to discuss Punjab’s burning issues and present the state’s resounding voice before the esteemed President…Our government remains fully committed to Punjab’s prosperity and the safeguarding of the rights of every section of society,” he added.

Seven AAP Rajya Sabha members — Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney — last month announced their decision to quit the AAP and join the BJP.

Except for Swati Maliwal, six other MPs represent Punjab in the Upper House.

After the defection of Rajya Sabha MPs, CM Mann announced that he will meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 to raise the issue of what he described as “illegal” and “unlawful defection” by seven Rajya Sabha MPs, while asserting that such “actions amount to a betrayal of the people’s mandate”.

Last week, the Chief Minister won the confidence motion in a special one-day Assembly session, sending a clear message that attempts to destabilise the government have failed.

Declaring the mandate in the 117-member House as a reflection of enduring public trust, Chief Minister Mann had said that the AAP’s support base remains intact and will translate into an even bigger mandate in 2027.

Positioning AAP as a resilient national force unaffected by defections, the Chief Minister had asserted that the party “represents people’s trust that cannot be broken”, while warning that institutions such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are being “misused” in ways that undermine the Constitution envisioned by Babasaheb Ambedkar.

During the proceedings, 88 AAP MLAs were present in the House, while two party MLAs were abroad and two were in jail. In addition, two MLAs were hospitalised. The confidence motion secured unanimous support in the House, underlining the strength and unity of the AAP government. Moving the confidence motion and addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister had said that attempts were being made to destabilise the government through misinformation, but the people of Punjab continue to stand firmly with it.

–IANS

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