The apparent silence of five out of seven Punjab Rajya Sabha members from the Aam Aadmi Party amid the current crisis facing the party has left party leaders and legislators puzzled.
These members, selected by the party's top leadership in 2022 from various backgrounds, including business, sports, and social work, have notably refrained from speaking out against the arrest of their party chief, Arvind Kejriwal. Only Sandeep Pathak, who also serves as the AAP national general secretary, and Raghav Chadha have opposed the arrest.
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Presently, in London, Chadha cannot participate in any of the protests organised against Kejriwal's arrest, whether in Delhi or Punjab. Conversely, Sandeep Pathak has not only actively engaged in these protests but has also initiated volunteer meetings in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Directorate of Enforcement arrested Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy 'scam'. Subsequent to his arrest, several AAP leaders modified their profile pictures on social media platforms, featuring images of Kejriwal in custody alongside the slogan "Modi ka sabse bada dar, Kejriwal."
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However, five out of the seven Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, namely Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Sanjeev Arora, Balbir Singh Seechewal, and Vikramjit Singh Sahney, have opted not to change their profile pictures, thus diverging from the party's directive.
“None of the MPs has given any statement against the BJP or extended their support to the party’s national convener,” a minister in the AAP government told The Tribune.
Although many within the party express private dissent over the nonchalant stance regarding Kejriwal's arrest, an on-record party strategist stated that these individuals are predominantly apolitical.
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