Harbhajan Singh: 'Ask AAP how much Punjab's Rajya Sabha seat was sold for' | North Desk

Harbhajan Singh vs AAP: BJP MP Harbhajan Singh threatens to name names over alleged AAP corruption in Punjab Rajya Sabha seat allocation, escalating feud with the party that fielded him.

North Desk Bureau

Chandigarh, May 22

Cricketer-turned-BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh escalated his war of words with the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday, threatening to publicly expose what he alleged was a corrupt deal behind AAP’s allocation of Punjab Rajya Sabha seats — and the ministerial appointments that followed.

“To those calling me a traitor, first ask your own people how much the Punjab Rajya Sabha seat was sold for,” Harbhajan, popularly known as Bhajji, wrote on X. “If they don’t tell you, I’ll tell you who took what bribe and from whom, and how someone was made a minister or a pawn to loot Punjab and deliver benefits to ‘Lala’. Punjab has been looted and devoured.”

The remarks came in direct response to a post by AAP leader Devinder Yadav, who had called Harbhajan a “gaddar” (traitor) and demanded he resign from the Rajya Sabha seat “given to him” by AAP if he was criticising the party. Yadav also alleged that BJP had paid Rs 25 crore to each of the seven defecting MPs — a charge Harbhajan did not deny, choosing instead to pivot to the seat-allocation allegation.

From AAP to Harbhajan Singh vs AAP

Harbhajan is among seven Rajya Sabha MPs elected on AAP tickets who joined BJP last month. The mass defection reduced AAP’s Rajya Sabha tally from 10 to just three members — Sanjay Singh, Narayan Das Gupta, and Sant Balbir Singh — a significant blow to the party’s national legislative presence.

Since the switch, AAP workers have staged protests outside Harbhajan’s Jalandhar residence, spray-painting “traitor” on its walls and burning his effigy. Harbhajan called this out directly: “It was the political party that burned my effigy and wrote ‘traitor’ on my house. Common people don’t do such things — who gave the instructions?”

He also pushed back on the suggestion that accepting the Rajya Sabha seat while later criticising AAP made him complicit. “I spent 20 years raising the nation’s name in sport. Your people think if they use a label, it will stick. It only reflects their cheap mentality.”

Crucially, during Harbhajan Singh Vs AAP war of words, Harbhajan stopped short of making the full disclosure he threatened. “When the time comes, every word of yours will be answered,” he wrote — leaving the corruption allegations in a charged but unverified state.

The opposition parties were not going to miss their opportunity. Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa wrote on X: Harbhajan Singh’s statement has exposed the ugly truth. The people of Punjab deserve answers from Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. Who sold Punjab’s interests? Who traded Rajya Sabha seats?

Senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia was unsparing too. He wrote: Hence proved — Punjab was put “on sale” by Kejriwal and his loyalists. Punjab gave its mandate to @BhagwantMann, but instead of protecting Punjab’s interests, he placed the state on a platter before @arvindkejriwal.

AAP has not formally responded to the seat-selling allegation at the time of publication of this piece.

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