‘I am their next target’
NEW DELHI: In the charged aftermath of a major political realignment, tensions between former allies have sharpened, spilling into accusations of state-backed intimidation. BJP MP Raghav Chadha on Tuesday claimed he could be the “next target” of the Punjab government, alleging a campaign of vendetta after a group of MPs broke away from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and aligned with the BJP.
Chadha, accompanied by three fellow MPs, met President Droupadi Murmu to raise the issue of the “misuse of state machinery” by the AAP-led Punjab government. The meeting comes amid heightened political friction after two-thirds of AAP MPs chose to merge with the BJP, a move that has triggered a bitter war of words.
Speaking after the meeting, Chadha said the delegation apprised the President of alleged intimidation tactics used against seven former AAP MPs.
“We conveyed how the AAP’s Punjab government is misusing state machinery to target us for exercising our constitutional rights,” he said, adding that the President assured them that democratic choices and constitutional protections must be respected.
Chadha further claimed that state resources were being deployed to threaten dissenting voices. “The Punjab government has hired agencies and is using public funds to intimidate us, including through social media,” he alleged.
At a press conference, Chadha escalated his attack, warning the AAP government against a “dangerous game of revenge”.
“I want to tell AAP that they have started a dangerous game of revenge using bodies like the Vigilance Board and Pollution Board. According to sources, I will be their next target,” he said.
He also issued a caution to state officials, asserting that the current government’s tenure is limited. “Punjab government officers should be careful. This government has only a few years left,” he said.
He alleged these actions were carried out with the backing of state authorities and police.
In a strongly worded post after meeting the President, Chadha accused AAP of hypocrisy, saying the party that once complained of political vendetta is now practising it in its most toxic form.
“AAP today behaves less like a political party and more like an obsessed, jilted ex — bitter, vindictive, and unable to move on,” he wrote.
The developments unfolded even as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also met President Murmu on the same day, underscoring the deepening political confrontation between the ruling state leadership and defecting MPs now aligned with the BJP.
With allegations and counter-allegations intensifying, the episode signals a widening rift that could shape Punjab’s political landscape in the months ahead.
Agencies