Operation Lotus Returns? Punjab AAP MLA Alleges Outreach, BJP Trashes Claim

A fresh political controversy has erupted in Punjab after an AAP MLA from the state, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, alleged that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's office reached out to her for a "closed-door meeting" with an offer to join the BJP ahead of the 2027 elections.

The chief minister rubbished the allegations and termed them "politically motivated".

Addressing a press conference at the AAP office, Bharaj, who is the MLA from Sangrur, claimed she was informed that she could be projected as the BJP candidate from the constituency in 2027 and that "other needs" would also be taken care of. 

Senior AAP spokesperson Baltej Pannu termed the alleged outreach part of "Operation Lotus", accusing the BJP of attempting to poach AAP legislators through inducements. He asserted that despite repeated efforts, "not a single AAP MLA has succumbed to pressure or temptation."

The allegations revive memories of September 2022, when Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema had accused the BJP of offering Rs 25 crore each to AAP MLAs in an alleged bid to destabilise the Punjab government. An FIR was registered in Mohali following a complaint by AAP leaders, but there has been no significant progress in the probe since. 

Reacting sharply, Chief Minister Saini dismissed Bharaj's claims as "completely baseless". He said he neither knows the MLA personally nor is aware of her constituency. 

"Such allegations are unfortunate in a democratic system. The people of Punjab are watching and will respond appropriately," he said, adding that similar accusations were made in Delhi and the electorate had "voted them out."

Former AAP MLA and now-BJP leader Sheetal Angural, who was among the complainants during the 2022 Operation Lotus row, alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party had then created a similar "misunderstanding" and projected him as the face of the controversy to defame the BJP.

Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, Angural claimed that AAP is once again using the narrative as a tool to malign the BJP, asserting that the party has no other political plank left. He alleged that this was being done at a time when the party's grip over Punjab was weakening.

The Haryana unit of the BJP, in a statement on X, said the AAP had tried the "same script" in Delhi as well, adding that "the politics of lies and drama doesn't last long".