BJP to hold mock session today as Punjab Assembly meets over AAP MPs' defection

The Punjab unit of the BJP will hold a parallel "Vidhan Sabha Session" in Chandigarh on Friday, an apparent move to counter the one-day special Assembly Session convened by the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government amid a deepening political crisis triggered by the recent defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP.

The Mann government has called the special session on the occasion of Labour Day (May 1), with a stated focus on issues concerning workers.

However, the ruling party is also expected to raise the controversy surrounding the defections, which it has described as part of an alleged "Operation Lotus" aimed at destabilising its government.

A resolution condemning the BJP may also be introduced during the session.

In a countermove, the Punjab BJP announced it will organise a "mock Assembly session" titled 'Janta di Vidhan Sabha' in Chandigarh.

The event will take place at 10 am near the party’s state headquarters and will be led by Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar and working president Ashwani Sharma.

The party said the initiative is intended to highlight public issues and challenge what it termed as politically motivated use of Assembly sessions by the ruling AAP.

The confrontation follows a major political setback for the AAP after seven of its ten Rajya Sabha MPs — Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal — quit the party and joined the BJP.

With the defectors constituting more than two-thirds of AAP’s strength in the Upper House, the anti-defection law is unlikely to apply.

The development has significantly reduced AAP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha to just three members and intensified speculation about instability within the Punjab government ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.

OPPOSITION SLAMS SPECIAL SESSION

Opposition parties have sharply criticised the special session called by the Bhagwant Mann government.

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia claimed the AAP government was nearing collapse. "AAP government time is up. End game for the AAP government. End of the road," he said, alleging that more leaders could leave the party.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also dismissed the session as a diversionary tactic. "Besides, it is too little and too late," he remarked, questioning what tangible benefit it would bring to labourers.

He added that the government was facing an “existential threat” following the defections and was using special sessions to deflect attention.

Warring further criticised the AAP’s governance record, alleging poor implementation of welfare schemes like MGNREGA and claiming that even basic guarantees for workers had not been fulfilled. "You don't hold special sessions more frequently than the regular sessions," he remarked.

Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa alleged that the government could use the session to conduct a floor test to prove its majority, claiming several AAP MLAs were in touch with the BJP.

He predicted that the state government may not survive and that President’s Rule could be imposed.

PUNJAB BJP DOUBTS AAP'S INTENT

Meanwhile, BJP leaders questioned the intent behind the Assembly session.

Sunil Jakhar said that simply convening a special Assembly session on May 1 would not suffice, urging Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to demonstrate seriousness by taking concrete steps for employees’ welfare.

"If you are serious, then in the true spirit of Labour Day and in accordance with the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, announce Rs 15,000 crore for the payment of DA instalments and pending dues of Punjab employees, guarantee payment by June 30".

With both sides preparing for parallel political messaging, the special session is expected to witness sharp exchanges as Punjab’s political atmosphere continues to intensify.

- Ends

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