Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab senior leader and Member of Parliament Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Friday spoke about what he described as a consistent pattern in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s functioning across the country, linking it to the use of central agencies and political inducements ahead of elections. He said the party’s approach reflects a broader attempt to weaken democratic institutions and opposition voices.
Addressing a press conference, AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said, “For the past 12 years, the BJP has been following the same model across the country to strangulate democracy. As soon as elections approach, out of fear of defeat, the BJP begins to intimidate opposition leaders through the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation, or lures them into joining the party. Punjab is a land of principles and struggle, and BJP’s ‘washing machine’ model will never succeed here.”
Citing examples from other states, he said, “In Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma faced CBI raids while he was in Congress, but became ‘clean’ the moment he joined BJP. In Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar had 70 cases registered against him overnight, and Amit Shah called him the most corrupt leader in the country, yet he was made Deputy Chief Minister immediately after joining BJP.”
He further extended the argument to developments in Parliament and Punjab politics, stating, “The same situation is now visible in Parliament. Leaders like Ravneet Bittu and Jyotiraditya Scindia, who were once part of Rahul Gandhi’s core team, are now sitting on the front benches of BJP, while the party’s old dedicated workers have been pushed to the sidelines.
In Punjab BJP, party meetings now have fewer original BJP workers and more former Congress faces like Sunil Jakhar and Rana Sodhi.”Expressing displeasure over Raghav Chadha’s conduct, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said, “The party and Arvind Kejriwal gave national recognition to an ordinary young man, but at the most difficult time for the party, Raghav Chadha abandoned it, which goes against moral values.
When Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh were in jail and party karyakartas were being lathi-charged on the streets, Raghav Chadha went abroad. This raises suspicion of some understanding between him and the BJP or Amit Shah.”
He added, “Even when Arvind Kejriwal came out of jail and received relief from the court, Raghav Chadha did not even post a tweet, which clearly shows that he is now acting at the behest of the BJP.” Referring to recent raids, he said, “The raids on the residences of AAP leaders and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal and Minister Sanjeev Arora in Punjab are part of the same conspiracy.
Amit Shah is continuously trying to break AAP by intimidating its leaders.” Reiterating the AAP’s stance, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said, “BJP is forgetting that AAP leaders and workers are firmly committed to their principles.
They tried the same in Delhi, but our leaders did not bow down. Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia were given many offers, but they chose to go to jail rather than kneel before BJP.” Taking on Sunil Jakhar and Ravneet Bittu, he said, “They are well aware of Punjab’s history and Sikh principles.
Punjab is a community that knows how to fight even by eating dry leaves, but does not know how to bow down.” He concluded with a warning, stating, “The more BJP tries to intimidate, the more it will suffer in Punjab. Punjabis, who have made 90% sacrifices, are not afraid of jails or cases.
This agenda of BJP may work in other states, but Punjab has a different character. Jakhar and Bittu may be silent due to greed for power or fear, but in the coming time, BJP will have to pay a heavy price for this oppressive politics.”