AAP is a sinking boat”: Punjab BJP chief Kewal Dhillon as 3 MLAs switch sides

Chandigarh. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Monday said the end of AAP rule in Punjab had begun, as he welcomed three of the ruling party’s legislators into the BJP in New Delhi.

“When sitting MLAs and leaders walk away from a party in power, it speaks volumes. AAP is a sinking boat, and its broom has completely scattered,” Dhillon said.

Former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh (Amritsar North), Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra (Sanour) and former minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra (Samana) joined the BJP at the party headquarters. Punjab affairs in-charge Dr Satish Poonia and co-in-charge Virendra Sachdeva were also present.

Dhillon said the BJP was growing stronger in Punjab every day as the mood on the ground turned against AAP. He accused the Bhagwant Mann government of betraying Punjab for nearly five years with broken promises, while drugs, corruption, lawlessness and record debt pushed the state to the edge.

“Where’s Kejriwal?”

Dhillon raised the case of Mansa anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota. He said crusaders like Jhota had given their lives fighting narcotics, but AAP’s leaders did not even console the grieving families. “Where’s Kejriwal?” he asked.

Turning to the new entrants, he said: “Their sentiments and dedication to Punjab will receive full honour and respect within the BJP family.”

Seats gone, not just loyalty

All three have quit the Assembly as well. Pathanmajra and Jouramajra resigned from AAP’s primary membership and their seats on Sunday. Kunwar Vijay Pratap followed on Monday, sending his resignation to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.

The exits dent a party that won 92 of Punjab’s 117 seats in 2022.

Each had a running feud with AAP. The party had suspended Kunwar Vijay Pratap for five years in June 2025 after he opposed the arrest of Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case.

Pathanmajra was booked on September 1, 2025, for rape, cheating and criminal intimidation, and was later arrested by Punjab Police in Gwalior. His lawyer had called the case political vendetta.

Jouramajra was reportedly unhappy after AAP named former Akali leader Surjit Singh Rakhra in-charge of his Samana seat.

“My internship ends today”

Kunwar Vijay Pratap said his “five-year internship” with AAP was over. He said Punjab was fighting an existential battle in which Punjabiyat had been sidelined. “Gangsterism and extortion have turned into organised industries,” he said, claiming gangsters enjoyed patronage within the ruling setup, something he said he saw while deposing against them in courts.

He said Punjab, once the country’s front-runner and named in the national anthem, had slid to the bottom, and only PM Modi’s governance model could bring back peace, industry and prosperity. “In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party is finished,” he said after the induction.

“Ubharta Punjab”

Pathanmajra said AAP clipped the wings of leaders who spoke up for Punjab and its people. He blamed the government’s money management for burdening the state with over ₹2.5 lakh crore in debt, and urged voters to back the BJP for an “Ubharta Punjab” (rising Punjab) free of drugs and gang violence.

Industry, health left behind

Jouramajra said PM Modi’s record was what drew him to the BJP. He said village dispensaries had been shut and health cards were not honoured at major hospitals. Industrial towns like Mandi Gobindgarh and Batala, he said, were hurt by state apathy and pending GST refunds. He also claimed AAP ministers avoided central ministries out of political fear, costing Punjab central schemes and funds.

The three leaders vowed to work under PM Modi and the BJP’s national and state leadership to free Punjab from crime, debt and drugs and rebuild a “Rangla Punjab”.