Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha lost nearly two million followers on Instagram after he broke ties with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with six other members of the upper house of Parliament. On the day of the announcement on Friday, Chadha had around 14.6 million followers, but on Sunday her follower count dropped to 12.7 million. Chadha, once considered a favorite of Arvind Kejriwal, also posted a random story on his Instagram profile, claiming that if counted in total, the top AAP leader could not even match his followers.
You leaders are surprised by Pathak’s departure
Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha may have led the coup against AAP, but it seems Sandeep Pathak’s departure has taken party leaders in Punjab by surprise. The low-profile backroom strategist turned IIT Delhi associate professor turned politician had mapped out the party’s campaign for the 2022 assembly elections and supervised the booth-level planning and management. Shocked by his decision to quit AAP, senior party leaders – most of whom knew him personally – appear to be in the dark about the reasons behind his unexpected departure. A senior party MLA said, “Pathak was the most preferred person for ground strategy in the elections. We relied heavily on his analysis, data and insights.” He said his absence will be felt.
After ‘AAP coup’, Moose song ‘Scapegoat’ becomes popular!
Slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s song “Scapegoat” is being shared widely on social media following the recent political developments in which AAP’s Rajya Sabha members from Punjab have switched their allegiance to BJP. Released in 2022, it criticizes AAP’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab and sees leaders like Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak as “outsiders” to the state. The song was released soon after AAP announced its Rajya Sabha candidates from Punjab. With the latest political defection, listeners have drawn parallels between the song’s lyrics and the current situation, leading to its resurgence on streaming platforms and social media. At the time of its release, the singer faced heavy trolling from AAP supporters online. Sidhu Moose Wala’s father Balkaur Singh Sidhu also visited X on Friday and penned a line from the song: “Jo Rajya Sabha Hoeyya, Zimmwar Dasso Kaun? Hunn Mainu Loko Oye Gaddaar Dasso Kaun?” CM Bhagwant Mann has now termed the outgoing MPs as traitors.
SAD targets AAP!
When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday expressed displeasure over seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the reaction in some sections of political circles was not very sympathetic. While the AAP decided to write to the Rajya Sabha Chairman demanding disqualification of the seven defectors from the upper house of Parliament, its own record of flouting the anti-defection law in Punjab came back to haunt it. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s attempt to claim the moral high ground and reminded him how one of his three MLAs had joined AAP ignoring legal norms and was later appointed chairman of a public sector undertaking. SAD mentioned Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, a two-time MLA from Banga, whom Mann had inducted into AAP on August 14, 2024. However, senior AAP leader and cabinet minister Harpal Cheema said that these seven MPs cannot escape action under the anti-defection law, as it clearly states that there cannot be any kind of division or faction in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
Possibility of change for Aam Aadmi Party in Jalandhar
The exit of educationist Ashok Mittal and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh from AAP is sure to bring a change in the political dynamics in Jalandhar. Mittal, once considered close to the top leadership of AAP, was active in local politics through his close associates – industrialist Nitin Kohli, in-charge of Jalandhar Central constituency, and Jalandhar Mayor Vaneet Dhir. Kohli said, “There may be some political and professional compulsions behind Ashok Mittal breaking ties with AAP.” While senior AAP leaders claimed that these departures will have minimal impact on electoral politics, many believe that the party will assess the role of leaders associated with the two MPs. Harbhajan was also overseeing the much-publicized administration of the state government. ₹77 crore sports hub project in Jalandhar, which is scheduled to be completed in August this year.
Objections increased on Punjab RERA structure
The Punjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has been attracting attention for its unusual structure, with most of its leadership drawn from the Income Tax Department rather than the real estate or urban planning domain. The body’s chief, RK Goyal, is a retired Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer who served as Principal Commissioner of Income Tax before joining Punjab RERA on September 30, 2024. He is joined by 1991-batch IRS officer BK Singh, who retired as Income Tax Commissioner in 2024 and is now a member of the authority. Further strengthening the trend, two more former tax officers – Dharamveer, a retired additional commissioner, and Kanhaiya Lal Garg, a former income tax officer – have been appointed on contract basis to assist the authority. Two members – Arunveer Vashishtha and Rajinder Singh Rai – come from judicial backgrounds, both of whom have served as judicial officers in Punjab. RERA regulates the real estate sector.
Haryana panel gets a shock for inspection
The Haryana Higher Education Department’s decision to set up a committee to formally inspect educational institutions to improve infrastructure and quality of teaching has come under scrutiny. The committee formed on April 21 included two members of education minister Mahipal Dhanda’s personal staff – his personal secretary (PS), Karan Singh, and personal assistant (PA), Pradeep Jaglan, as well as an educationist, Satrup Dhanda, former assistant professor at Chhaju Ram College of Education, Hisar and member of the Haryana State Council of Higher Education. Dhanda is also an executive member of Jat Educational Society, Hisar. Although it seems appropriate to include an academician like Dhanda in the oversight committee appointed to improve infrastructure and teaching standards, concerns have been raised about the ability of the minister’s personal staff to meaningfully evaluate academic quality and institutional performance. Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda did not respond to calls and messages in this regard.
‘Tit for tat’ journey
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah last week visited Jammu’s Nowshera assembly constituency, which is currently represented by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary. During the tour, the CM not only inaugurated several projects but also criticized former BJP state president Ravinder Raina for alleged neglect of the constituency. Abdullah further accused the BJP leadership of failing the Jammu region. A few days later, Raina visited Srinagar and hit out at Abdullah and his party, accusing them of failing to fulfill key promises of their election manifesto, especially those related to free electricity and gas cylinders. Raina said he was deflecting criticism on certain points due to the CM being in the field, warning that he would be more “brutal” in his comments about the CM and his “false promises” in future.
Jairam takes a dig at Sukhu on ‘confused government’
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur recently criticized Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu for repeatedly withdrawing decisions, saying that he is running a government of decision-making in the name of system change. Describing the government as confused, Thakur said that decisions taken in the morning are reversed by the evening and the government often issues orders which are criticized across the state and are withdrawn the very next day. “Who is taking the decisions that change from morning to evening? Why is the government changing its stand again and again?” Raising questions, the former CM said that from toilet tax and toll tax to closure of hospitals, schools and other institutions, many such decisions have brought disrepute to the state.
(Contributed by Navrajdeep Singh, Navneet Sharma, Karam Prakash, Hillary Victor, Hitendra Rao, Mir Ehsaan, Shaili Dogra)
