Punjab CM Fires at Harbhajan Singh and Raghav Chadha

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, along with Raghav Chadha and five other Rajya Sabha MPs, resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), triggering a major political stir. Reacting strongly, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP of using pressure tactics against Harbhajan Singh by targeting his professional commentary career.

Mann alleged that the BJP leveraged its influence over the Board of Control for Cricket in India to threaten Harbhajan Singh with the loss of commentary opportunities if he refused to join them. He termed the defecting MPs as “traitors” to Punjab, stating they had betrayed the trust of the people. The AAP leadership described the move as part of “Operation Lotus,” aimed at destabilizing the Punjab government.