Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday met President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi and demanded the disqualification of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha members who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last month, calling the move a constitutional violation and a "mockery" of Indian democracy.

What Mann Said at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Addressing reporters after his meeting with the President, Mann argued that the defection of seven out of ten AAP Rajya Sabha MPs did not meet the legal threshold for a valid party merger. "If seven out of ten of our MPs come together and say that they have merged with another party, it cannot happen just by their own will. There are laws governing the country, and things must be done according to the Constitution," he said.

Mann added that the rebels lacked the resolve to contest a fresh mandate. "If they had enough courage to do so, they should have simply resigned and got elected from somewhere else on the BJP's ticket. We also would have sent seven of our representatives for the contest," he told reporters.

The Constitutional Challenge

Under India's anti-defection law, a valid merger requires at least two-thirds of a party's legislative members to join another party, and the merger must be of the original political party itself — not just a legislative group. Mann contended that neither condition was met in this case.

He flagged a stark imbalance in Punjab's political representation: "Currently, there are 2 elected BJP MLAs in Punjab, and now they have 6 Rajya Sabha MPs from the state. Isn't it a mockery of the Constitution?" he said. Six of the seven defecting MPs were elected from Punjab.

Mann's Demand: Disqualification and Fresh Seats

The Chief Minister called for the cancellation of all seven MPs' Rajya Sabha memberships. "They should be disqualified, and AAP should be given a chance to again fill in those seven seats," he asserted. He further suggested that if no legal provision for recall currently exists, Parliament should bring an amendment. "I have discussed this with the President; she has assured to call me back after discussing the matter with specialists of the Constitution," Mann said.

BJP Accused of Dismantling Regional Parties

Mann also used the occasion to accuse the BJP of systematically undermining regional political formations across the country. He cited the weakening of the Chautala family's party, Sharad Pawar's faction, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, and alleged that the BJP was now targeting the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). "They're behind Tejashwi; they've almost finished it. Now they say that they'll finish the Trinamool Congress," he said. However, Mann expressed confidence that AAP would withstand the pressure. "They won't be able to finish Aam Aadmi Party, because Aam Aadmi Party is a national party," he asserted.

President Murmu's response, expected after consultations with constitutional experts, will be closely watched as it could shape the trajectory of the disqualification petition.