Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha (BJP) met President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday, May 5, 2024, to raise concerns about the Punjab government [1].
The meeting highlights a growing political conflict between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regarding the use of state power against political defectors.
Chadha, accompanied by fellow MPs, visited Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi to allege that the AAP-led Punjab government is misusing state machinery [2]. He said the state administration is pursuing "vendetta politics" against him and other legislators after his decision to switch parties [3].
During the visit, Chadha expressed concern over the potential for targeted harassment. "I fear I could be the next target of the Punjab government," Chadha said [4]. He said that the administration is misusing state resources to target individuals for exercising their constitutional rights [5].
This friction follows a broader dispute over legislative membership. The Punjab government has sought to cancel the membership of six Rajya Sabha MPs who joined the BJP [6].
"The AAP government is indulging in dangerous vendetta politics," Chadha said [7]. He said that the meeting with the president was a necessary step to seek protection of constitutional rights in the face of alleged state overreach [5].
“"The AAP government is indulging in dangerous vendetta politics."”
This confrontation underscores the legal and political instability that often follows high-profile party switches in India. By appealing directly to the president, Chadha is attempting to elevate a regional dispute over membership and harassment into a national constitutional issue, potentially setting a precedent for how state governments handle legislators who defect to the opposition.
