Punjab AAP faces fresh crisis as three MLAs Join BJP; Jhota murder intensifies questions over Bhagwant Mann’s leadership

Jouramajra and Pathanmajra specifically raised concerns over the October 13 murder of Jhota, arguing that the continued presence of drug hotspots exposed the government's failure to address the problem despite being in power for nearly five years.

 

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh went further, declaring that "AAP is finished in Punjab". He blamed Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann for the party's declining position and predicted that a "double-engine government" would soon be formed in the state.

 

 

Congress leader Udit Raj said the rebellion within AAP was inevitable and suggested that more legislators could leave the party in the coming days.

 

"There could be some other reason behind this as well. What were they doing in the Aam Aadmi Party for so long? A rebellion within the party was bound to happen, and now it has begun. When all the MPs had staged a walkout, 40-45 MLAs were also ready to leave the party," he stated.

 

Taking aim at Mann's leadership, Raj alleged that the Chief Minister was not effectively running the government and that AAP's Delhi leadership was calling the shots in Punjab.

 

"Everyone knows how their government is functioning now. Bhagwant Mann has nothing to do with running the government. He remains somewhere in an intoxicated state. The government is being run by Manish Sisodia, Arvind Kejriwal and their associates. Where are the people of Punjab running their own government? The Punjab government is being run by people from Delhi. There will be more defections in the party in the coming days," he added.

 

The remarks have brought the issue of AAP's centralised leadership back into focus, with opposition parties questioning whether Punjab's elected representatives have meaningful control over the administration.

 

 

The murder of 42-year-old anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota has intensified the political confrontation.

 

Jhota was known for his campaign, 'Nasha Roko, Rozgaar Do' (Stop Drugs, Provide Employment), through which he had raised concerns over the alleged illegal sale of addictive substances through chemist shops.

 

On October 13, he was shot dead inside a medical store in a busy marketplace in Mansa while livestreaming on Facebook. He was reportedly questioning the shop owner, Ashwani Kumar, over the alleged sale of prescription drugs to an elderly customer.

 

Kumar was subsequently arrested in Rajasthan.

 

The murder sparked widespread outrage, with Jhota's family and opposition parties demanding accountability from the state government. The family also sought the transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following which the case was handed over to the central agency.

 

The incident triggered demands for a Punjab bandh and Mann's resignation. Opposition parties described the killing as evidence of the failure of the government's anti-drug campaign and the deteriorating law and order situation.

 

 

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal held Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directly responsible for Jhota's murder, accusing the government of allowing law and order to deteriorate.

 

"The situation is such that there is no law and order because the chief minister doesn't have time. The DGP is temporary for the last five years. The CM himself stays high and enjoys himself. So the condition is so bad that they have ruined Punjab. Bhagwant Mann is directly responsible for the murder that has taken place," Badal said.

 

Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also demanded the resignations of Mann and Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav.

 

She accused the government of remaining unmoved despite public anger over the activist's killing and alleged a nexus between politicians, the police and the administration.

 

The Akali Dal has argued that the incident reflects a larger breakdown in governance and the failure of the state machinery to act against drug networks.

 

 

Questions over Bhagwant Mann's conduct and ability to discharge his responsibilities have also resurfaced amid the latest political developments.

 

In May 2026, during a special Assembly session, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and other opposition legislators alleged that the Chief Minister appeared intoxicated during proceedings. They demanded an alcohol or drug test, following which Mann walked out of the Assembly.

 

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa described the allegation as "very serious" and said that, if true, it would be "a black day for democracy".

 

Leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP also echoed the demand for a test and called for Mann's resignation.

 

Punjab BJP leader Sunil Jakhar said the Chief Minister had "completely lost the moral right to remain in office".

 

 

The BJP has stepped up its attack on the AAP government, particularly over the drug problem and the deteriorating security situation.

 

Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon accused the government of allowing law and order to collapse. He said Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, had "no moral right to remain in office" and described the situation in the state as "jungle raj".

 

Dhillon cited Jhota's murder, other recent killings and the arrest of a policeman allegedly caught with heroin to question the government's commitment to tackling organised drug networks.

 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also questioned the AAP government's performance on the issue.

 

Addressing the Chief Minister, Shah said, "The people of Punjab do not want promises, they want answers; not announcements, but results; decisive strikes against drug networks."

 

Shah also called for other drug-related cases to be handed over to the CBI, alleging that the state government had failed to effectively curb the menace.

 

In another political confrontation in late October, BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu brought a liquor bottle to the Punjab Assembly complex. He claimed that a similar bottle had been found with Mann at Delhi airport and accused the Chief Minister of remaining preoccupied with alcohol instead of addressing the state's pressing concerns.

 

 

The question of who actually controls the Punjab government has become another major point of contention following the resignations.

 

Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, one of the three MLAs who left AAP, alleged that leaders based in Delhi were taking decisions for the Punjab government.

 

The opposition has accused AAP's national leadership, particularly Arvind Kejriwal and other senior leaders, of exercising control over the state administration despite Mann being the elected Chief Minister.

 

Udit Raj's remarks have added to this criticism, with the Congress leader alleging that the government was being run by Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and their associates rather than Punjab's elected representatives.

 

 

With Punjab scheduled to go to Assembly elections in early 2027, the latest defections have added to the challenges facing the AAP government.

 

The exit of three legislators, allegations of governance failures, the continuing drug crisis and the political fallout of Jhota's murder have placed Mann's leadership under renewed scrutiny.

 

The repeated allegations that the government is being controlled from Delhi have also raised questions about the autonomy of Punjab's elected leadership.