Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said he will “strongly represent Punjab’s voice” when he meets President Droupadi Murmu on May 5. “It is our duty to safeguard the people’s mandate and democratic values,” he said.
Mann had sought an appointment with the President to demand the “recall” of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs who joined the BJP. He confirmed that the President has granted him an appointment at 12 noon on May 5 to highlight his concerns.
In a post on X, Mann said, “I am pleased to inform you that President Droupadi Murmu has given me an appointment at 12 noon on May 5. Although we had requested an appointment for all the MLAs to meet her, only I have received an invitation.”
“I will visit Rashtrapati Bhawan with my fellow MLAs. They will sit outside while I meet the President to highlight the concerns of the people of Punjab. Our strategy is to share our next steps after the meeting. Heartfelt thanks to the President for granting me her valuable time,” the post further read.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a major setback after seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs — including Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal — quit the party and merged with the BJP, alleging that the AAP had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Six of the seven MPs who left were from Punjab.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan on Monday officially accepted the merger with the BJP, reducing the strength of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in the Upper House.
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