Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jagroop Singh Gill attended a government function alongside Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Friday, inaugurating Punjab's first bio-fertiliser testing laboratory in Bathinda. The appearance signals Gill's return to an official party platform despite ongoing differences with local leadership, particularly the camp of Mayor Padamjeet Singh Mehta and his father Amarjit Singh Mehta.
Gill's absence from CM events raised questions
Gill had skipped recent events of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, sparking speculation about his position within the party. His close relative contested the municipal corporation elections as an Independent and later boycotted the mayoral election after Mehta was elected mayor. Gill and the Mehtas have been at loggerheads for a long time.
Gill also recently joined former BJP MLA Sarup Chand Singla and former Congress district president Ashok Kumar at a joint press conference held at the clinic of Dr Tarsem Garg, where a petrol bomb attack occurred on June 22. They demanded swift action in the case.
Gill explains absence from CM programmes
Explaining his absence from the Chief Minister's programmes, Gill said, "Mehta did not win in a democratic way but got elected and later became mayor with the power of the government. How could I attend his function? An attack also took place at the residence of my close relative who contested the MC elections, and we have named him among the accused... Besides, nobody informed me about the Chief Minister's recent programmes in the district."
He added, "However, I was officially invited to the Agriculture Department's programme, so I attended it. Further, we held a joint press conference at Garg's clinic because it is an issue related to the city, and the family has close ties with me."
Gill to attend AAP MLAs meeting
Asked whether he would attend the AAP MLAs' meeting in Amritsar ahead of the party leaders' appearance before the Akal Takht on Monday, Gill said he would attend but had not received any communication from the Akal Takht summoning him. "The Akal Takht is supreme for every Sikh," he added.
Reiterating his stand amid the latest political developments, Gill said, "My voice is against the murder of democracy."
Gill had defeated then Congress candidate and former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal by a margin of 63,581 votes in the 2022 Assembly elections.
