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AAP workers staged a protest on Saturday against party MPs who joined the BJP. The walls of Harbhajan Singh's residence were defaced with 'Gaddar' graffiti.
A policeman standing guard outside the house of former cricketer and Rajya Sabha member Harbhajan Singh after protesters defaced his gate in Jalandhar on Saturday.(HT_PRINT)'Gaddar' was scrawled across the walls of the residence of Harbhajan Singh and other Rajya Sabha MPs who jumped ship from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a day earlier.
AAP workers staged an aggressive protest on Saturday against seven party MPs who joined the BJP, giving the AAP a major setback ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls.
AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak announced on Friday that they were quitting the party and joining the BJP along with five other MPs. Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal, and Vikramjit Sahney were the other AAP MPs they named.
The move triggered furious reactions from AAP leaders while drawing a warm welcome from the BJP.
Demonstrators targeted the residences of these MPs, branding them "Gaddar" (traitor) in a series of coordinated demonstrations across Punjab.
A video shared by news agency ANI showed AAP workers writing 'Gaddar' (traitor), in both English and Punjabi, on the walls of Harbhajan Singh's residence in Jalandhar.
Similar protests were also held outside the residences of Rajya Sabha MPs Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta. Boundary walls of their houses in Ludhiana and Jalandhar were also defaced with graffiti of 'Gaddar' (traitor), news agency PTI reported. Protesters also burned Gupta's effigy.
The protesters raised slogans of "Punjab ka Gaddar, Murdabad", accusing them of betraying the people of Punjab, the report added.
Amidst this, AAP Punjab's official social media handles posted a graphic that used the letters of the defecting MPs' names to spell out the word "Gaddar".
In Jalandhar, AAP leader Pawan Kumar Tinu said, "The AAP government will return to power in Punjab in 2027, and the BJP will have no political ground left to stand on."
"Out of frustration, the BJP has resorted to poaching AAP's Rajya Sabha MPs by hook or crook. The Congress, BJP and Akali Dal have formed an unholy alliance against AAP, which is why their leaders are making similar statements about AAP MPs defecting to the BJP," Tinu said.
The AAP leaders reiterated that the party remains united and committed to serving the people of Punjab, asserting that those who betray the trust of Punjab will ultimately be held accountable by people.
About the Author
Akriti Anand
Akriti Anand is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint. She is a digital journalist with more than six years in the news industry.<br><br> In her current role, she covers both national and international politics, and also keeps a close watch on the latest trends in science and space exploration. <br><br> Akriti joined the LiveMint team in October 2023. Before this, she built a strong career at other major media houses. She worked as a senior sub-editor at India Today. Later, she moved to CNBCTV-18. There, she covered high-pressure topics like breaking news and major elections. She spent much of her time analysing Parliament bills and complex political debates. She is also a skilled editor who knows how to polish a story for a digital audience. <br><br> One of her career highlights happened at CNBCTV-18. She made her first television debut during the Chandrayaan-3 mission. She also provided special on-air coverage for the Karnataka Elections. <br><br> When she is not busy with breaking news, Akriti loves to write explainers and interview experts on a wide range of issues. She also enjoys making complex space missions easy for everyone to understand. <br><br> Her education helps her tackle these diverse subjects. She holds a BA in English Literature, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies. She is currently expanding her knowledge in climate journalism.<br><br> Connect with Akriti here<br> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/akriti-anand-868285199">https://www.linkedin.com/in/akriti-anand-868285199</a><br> Twitter/X: <a href="https://x.com/AkritiAnand7">https://x.com/AkritiAnand7</a><br> Email: akriti.anand@htdigital.in
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