'Hope CM respects dignity of President's Office': BJP's Sunil Jakhar hits out at Bhagwant Mann ahead of Delhi visit

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 5 (ANI): Punjab's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday took a sharp dig at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ahead of his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, expressing hope that the Chief Minister would uphold the dignity of the constitutional office.
In a post on X, Jakhar said, "As he walks into Rashtrapati Bhavan today, one hopes that CM Sh. Bhagwant Mann will respect the dignity of the Hon'ble President's office, even if he has failed to uphold that of his own office or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha."

CM Bhagwant Mann arrived in the national capital earlier today to meet President Murmu and raise the issue of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs who recently switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mann expressed confidence that the President would hear his concerns, describing her as the "guardian of India's Constitution."
"I think that the President will listen to us. The President is the guardian of the Constitution; she is the constitutional head of the country," Mann told reporters before heading to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Chief Minister is expected to demand action against the MPs who shifted allegiance, including revocation of their membership. Punjab Minister Aman Arora said the move had betrayed public trust. "The people of Punjab had placed their trust in some people... but they have now eroded their trust and left. They should be called back, their recognition should be revoked; this is our demand," he said.
Another Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the development an "attack on democracy," adding that all 95 AAP MLAs would support the Chief Minister's appeal. "We will request her to exercise the powers given by the Constitution... Punjab will fight to restore this democracy," he said.
AAP MLA Vijay Singla dismissed speculation about defections within the party and asserted that protesting against the MPs' move was a democratic right.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa questioned the timing of Mann's visit, noting that BJP MP Raghav Chadha was also scheduled to meet the President shortly before him. Bajwa alleged that the sequence of meetings "raises more questions than answers" and claimed that the AAP and BJP were "two sides of the same coin." (ANI)