Harbhajan Singh's Security Cover Withdrawn By Punjab Police After BJP Switch

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Two days after Rajya Sabha MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with six others, the Punjab Police reportedly withdrew his security cover. According to the report, the police security cover of 9-10 policemen was withdrawn on Saturday, April 25.

The Punjab Police security was deployed at the former cricketer's residence at the Chhotti Baradari locality in Jalandhar. From Sunday, April 26, security personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were seen deployed outside his residence.

Harbhajan Singh alongside Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney moved to the saffron party after announcing their exit from the AAP.

Some AAP workers also held a protest outside the residences of Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta and wrote“Gaddar” (traitor) outside the walls of their residences in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

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The protestors sloganeered to express their disapproval, stating, "Punjab ka Gaddar, Murdabad". Amidst this, the 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".

Why did Raghav Chadha defected to BJP?

Addressing a presser in the national capital, Raghav Chadha informed that Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal – two third of the AAP's strength in the Upper House of Parliament - have also switched to the BJP.

Raghav Chadha said,“Today, every true patriot who nurtured the Aam Aadmi Party with their blood and sweat and joined it with great expectations has either left the Aam Aadmi Party or is leaving it.”

“Every honest, hardworking person feels that there is no longer room for work in the Aam Aadmi Party. And the Aam Aadmi Party is now walking on a wrong path that no one wants to be associated with. Consequently, one by one, many leaders have left the Aam Aadmi Party,” the former AAP leader said.

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He also alleged that Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals, which is why he was joining the BJP. He said the seven had merged with the BJP as a faction.

In the immediate wake of the exodus, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann dubbed the seven leaders "gaddars". The Punjab chief minister alleged that the BJP was trying to break the AAP and had "betrayed the people of Punjab".

(With inputs from agency)

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