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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's cousin, Gian Singh Mann, on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing its leadership of abandoning the "common man" identity after coming to power in Punjab.
Speaking to ANI after joining the BJP, Gian Singh Mann said he became disillusioned with the AAP government for allegedly failing to fulfil its promises to the people of Punjab and asserted that only the BJP could work for the development of the state. "The people of Punjab were swayed by their (AAP) words and brought them to power in 2022, and after coming to power, they changed--they went from being 'common' to 'special'... Instead of fulfilling the promises they made, they started doing the opposite. This left me disheartened with their party, and that's why I decided to leave it," he said. Highlighting the BJP's governance slogan, Gian Singh Mann said the party's vision inspired his decision to join the organisation. "The BJP is moving forward with the slogan of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', which inspired me to think about joining the BJP... Only the BJP can work for Punjab," he added. Gian Singh Mann joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in the state. This development comes amid a major political standoff in the state with Bhagwant Mann alleging that the BJP has been using central investigative agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax Department, against political rivals. His remarks came after the ED carried out raids on Saturday at multiple locations linked to Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with an ongoing alleged Rs 100 crore money laundering probe. "For the past few years, Punjab has been experiencing the BJP's way of working. BJP has weapons of ED, CBI and Income Tax, which it has been using. And now, Punjab is on the BJP's target. Currently, ED is raiding Sanjeev Arora's premises," Mann said. The latest political shift also follows a series of exits from the AAP in recent months. Last month, MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal parted ways with the party and later joined the BJP in the presence of senior party leaders. Apart from them, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal had also joined the BJP subsequently, strengthening the party's outreach in Punjab ahead of upcoming electoral contests. (ANI)
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