Chandigarh: The AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, on Monday slammed the seven Rajya Sabha MPs of the party who have defected to the BJP, accusing them of “betraying” the party for “personal interests”. Kang clarified that AAP MLAs in Punjab firmly stood with chief minister Bhagwant Mann. “It is an illegal and unconstitutional merger. The BJP has only two MLAs in the state, then how can it have six Rajya Sabha members from the state? The party gave them respect. People of Punjab had given a mandate in favour of the AAP,” Kang told media persons.Replying to a question on seven Rajya Sabha members quitting the AAP, Kang said, “They betrayed the party that gave them a lot of respect. They joined the political party that always tries to divide society.” “The MLAs in Punjab firmly stand with Bhagwant Mann and the AAP would continue to serve people of the state,” Kang said. Asked about the possible reasons for their defection, Kang added, “We feel that they had personal interests. Of them, some were scared of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate. They switched sides to save their businesses.” The Congress and SAD leaders in Punjab have claimed that several AAP MLAs could switch to other parties closer to the elections, especially those who fear that they may not be fielded again by the AAP.
