"Public Won't Trust Raghav Chadha Again": Bhagwant Mann To NDTV

A Rajya Sabha member is selected, whereas the one in the Lok Sabha is elected, underlined Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, taking a swipe at former AAP colleague Raghav Chadha. 

"When you abandon a position given to you by the voters, people get incredibly angry. They think, 'We chose you directly, what greater honour were you looking for?' The Rajya Sabha is selected, whereas the Lok Sabha is elected. There is a unique pride and responsibility in being elected," the Punjab Chief Minister told NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal.

Raghav Chadha served as the elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Rajinder Nagar in Delhi from February 2020 until March 2022, when he vacated the seat after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. 

In April, Chadha, along with six AAP leaders, joined the BJP. Chadha claimed he quit AAP becasue "they don't work for the country, but for their own personal gain".

"There is a unique pride and responsibility in being elected. You (Rahul Kanwal) and I have sat together in the Central Hall, where both elected and selected members sit. But if you observe, the elected MP is always on his toes. He knows he has to go back to the public, thank them, and get work done in his constituency using MPLAD funds because he is constantly thinking about how he will face them in the next election. Rajya Sabha members don't face that kind of pressure,"the Chief Minister said.

"This coming and going of politicians keeps happening. Ultimately, the organisation is always bigger than any individual," he stressed. 

The Chief Minister recounted how Kalyan Singh, a massive leader, "vanished" after a fallout with Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"Let me give you an example from when I was young. Kalyan Singh. was such a massive leader in UP, and the public loved him so intensely that after his rallies, people would apply the dust from his footsteps to their foreheads. But he had a fallout with (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee Sahib and left the party. After that, no one even knew where he vanished," Mann said.

The Chief Minister said the party has "already forgotten those defectors", referring to Raghav Chadha and those who joined the BJP. 

"As for those defectors you are talking about, I think we had already forgotten about them until you just reminded us. The past is the past, and even God cannot change the past. Let it be," he said.

Asked if Raghav Chadha's leaving was a happy moment for him, he said, "Why would I be happy? They were members of my party. I felt deeply hurt by this. As you mentioned, I worked very closely with those individuals - almost like family members. We shared deep personal and familial ties. I truly don't know what crossed their minds. But as the Punjabi saying goes: 'It is good that it ended early; at least a lifetime wasn't wasted in the company of those who don't know your worth'."

The Punjab Chief Minister pointed out that the BJP has only 2 MLAs out of 117 in the Punjab Assembly, yet they have 6 Rajya Sabha MPs, pointing out the contradiction.

"What greater mockery of democracy can there be than the fact that the BJP has only 2 MLAs out of 117 in the Punjab Assembly, yet they have 6 Rajya Sabha MPs? How is it mathematically possible for a party with only two MLAs to have six MPs? The BJP should have felt some shame. As we say in Punjab, the BJP should have at least given it a thought. If they really wanted them, they should have made them resign and get re-elected from Rajasthan, Bengal, or anywhere else. At the very least, Rajya Sabha members should be elected by their own party's MLAs. Those MPs were elected by our MLAs, yet the BJP is boasting about increasing their numbers," Mann said.

Citing the examples of Sharad Pawar's NCP, Nitish Kumar's JDU, Bhagwant claimed the the BJP is only focused on "breaking other political parties". 

"They are solely focused on breaking other political parties-whether it is splitting the Shiv Sena or Sharad Pawar's party. History shows that whichever political party aligned with the BJP ended up completely decimated. Just ask Dushyant Chautala where his party is today. Ask Naveen Patnaik about Odisha and where his party stands now. Look at Bihar and ask Nitish Kumar. Look at the Shiv Sena and ask Uddhav Thackeray. Even ask Sharad Pawar, who considered himself a veteran politician. The BJP completely destroys the very ally they initial partner with. That is exactly what is happening," he said.