2 weeks ago
Harbhajan Singh blames Punjab CM, AAP for BJP switch
Harbhajan Singh is a famous Indian cricketer who also became a politician.
He used to belong to a political party called the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP.
He says he joined AAP to help promote sports across India.
But he says nobody in the party listened to his ideas.
So he left AAP and joined a different party called the BJP.
Some people were upset and protested outside his house in Jalandhar.
They even burned a small model of him and wrote 'Traitor' outside his home.
Harbhajan says he never betrayed anyone and asked what AAP had done for Punjab.
He also spoke about Punjab's serious drug problem, which he says is destroying young people.
He wants stricter laws to stop drugs from entering the border state.
Harbhajan Singh said he left AAP for the BJP because his sports-promotion suggestions were not heard by the party.
He holds Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann responsible for his departure, saying the work he joined for was not fulfilled.
Harbhajan was sent to the Rajya Sabha by AAP in 2022 and, along with six others, joined the BJP in April this year.
Protests outside his home in Jalandhar included effigy burning and 'Traitor' graffiti after the switch.
He pressed AAP to answer for Punjab's drug crisis, citing over 70,000 drug-related cases and more than 95,000 arrests between 2022 and 2026.
- Who
- Harbhajan Singh, a 46-year-old cricketer-turned-politician who was sent to the Rajya Sabha by AAP in 2022.
- What
- Revealed in a PTI podcast interview that he left AAP for the BJP because his sports-promotion ideas went unheard, and blamed the party over Punjab's drug crisis.
- Where
- India, with protests taking place outside his house in Jalandhar, Punjab.
- When
- The interview follows his and six other AAP MPs' move to the BJP in April this year; his Rajya Sabha appointment was in 2022.
- Why
- He said he was not heard in AAP and the sports-related work he joined the party for was not getting done.
AAP's view
Harbhajan Singh's view
Reason for leaving AAP
AAP's view
AAP reacted sharply to the setback, accusing the deserting MPs, including Harbhajan, of betrayal.
Harbhajan Singh's view
Harbhajan said he left because his sports-promotion ideas were ignored and the work he joined AAP for was not being done, asking 'Whom did I betray?'
Effigy-burning protests in Jalandhar
AAP's view
Protesters burned his effigy and wrote 'Traitor' outside his house after he switched parties.
Harbhajan Singh's view
Harbhajan said the common man who loves him for his cricket would not burn his effigy, implying the protests were politically organized, though he declined to name anyone.
Key facts
- Politician
- Harbhajan Singh (46), cricketer-turned-politician
- Former party
- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
- Current party
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Rajya Sabha appointment
- 2022, by AAP
- Joined BJP
- April this year, with six other AAP MPs
- Protests
- Effigy burning and 'Traitor' graffiti outside his Jalandhar home
- Punjab drug cases (2022-2026)
- Over 70,000 registered, more than 95,000 arrests
- Substance abuse in Punjab
- At least 15% of residents admitted to substance abuse, per surveys
Quotes
Harbhajan Singh
Former international cricketer and current Rajya Sabha MP
“"The work for which I joined AAP was not getting done. Even if a small step had been taken in the direction that I suggested, I would not have left. But my very reason for joining the party was not getting fulfilled. That's why I left because nobody was responding to my suggestions."”
thehansindia.com
telegraphindia.com
“"When (current Punjab Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann asked me to join AAP, it was to represent the party in the Rajya Sabha and raise issues related to sports. I had made it clear at that time itself that I would only talk about sports and …"”
thehansindia.com
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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