New Delhi [India], May 5 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "robbing" the Rajya Sabha seats that rightfully belonged to the people of Punjab, following the defection of seven AAP MPs to the BJP. Kejriwal stated that AAP would seek revenge for this alleged "robbery" in the upcoming February elections.
"The seven people who have left the AAP. The BJP has committed the theft. These six Rajya Sabha seats belonged to the people of Punjab. The BJP has robbed them. We will take revenge for this in February next year," Kejriwal said, addressing his party members in the national capital.
His comments came in response to BJP MP Raghav Chadha's accusations regarding the Punjab government's alleged targeting of former AAP MPs who switched sides to join the BJP. Chadha had earlier called on President Droupadi Murmu, accusing the Punjab government of misusing state machinery to intimidate the MPs and target them for exercising their constitutional rights.
In a post shared on X, Chadha claimed that the AAP government in Punjab had resorted to a "dangerous game of revenge" by using the Vigilance Board and Pollution Board. He also alleged that state agencies had been hired to threaten him and other MPs on social media using Punjab government funds.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal, in his address, earlier also expressed concerns over what he called the BJP's "hijacking and murder of democracy," drawing parallels with the party's controversial victory in West Bengal and Assam. He alleged that the BJP was using tactics like voter deletions to weaken their opponents, specifically referencing his own loss in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
"They cancel all the votes, and nothing will be left. This same chaos is happening throughout the country," Kejriwal said.
BJP won 206 seats in West Bengal, recording a historic win in the state, outperforming its 77-seat tally in the 2021 Assembly elections. Trinamool Congress, which swept the last assembly poll by winning 212 seats, finished a distant second with 80 seats.
In Assam, NDA scored a spectacular victory, winning a three-fourths majority. BJP scored a two-thirds majority on its own in the northeastern state, winning 206 seats. BJP's allies, Bodoland Peoples Front and Asom Gana Parishad, won 10 seats each. Congress has won 15 seats. All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) won one seat, and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won two seats.