Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of treating turncoats like disposable pawns. He cited the examples of former Congress leader Sunil Jakhar and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu to support his claim.
Cheema's Allegations Against BJP
Speaking to the media, Cheema said that the BJP has a history of using leaders who switch parties for its own benefit and then discarding them when they are no longer useful. He pointed out that Sunil Jakhar, who was a senior Congress leader in Punjab, joined the BJP but has been sidelined since. Similarly, Ravneet Singh Bittu, a sitting Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, was not included in the BJP's list of candidates for the upcoming elections.
Ravneet Bittu's Omission
The name of Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, did not appear in the BJP's candidate list. This omission, Cheema argued, is a clear indication that the BJP does not value its turncoat leaders. Bittu, who was once a close aide of former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, switched to the BJP ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Sunil Jakhar's Fate
Sunil Jakhar, who served as the President of the Punjab Congress, left the party in 2022 and joined the BJP. However, he has not been given any significant role in the party or the government. Cheema noted that Jakhar's political career has effectively ended after joining the BJP.
Cheema's remarks come amid growing tensions between the BJP and its ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), in Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also accused the BJP of using turncoats to destabilize other parties and then abandoning them.
The BJP has not yet responded to Cheema's allegations. However, party insiders suggest that the decision to drop Bittu from the candidate list was based on electoral considerations and not personal vendetta.
