Randhawa Slams AAP and BJP, Says Both Ignoring Public Issues While Chasing Power Politics

Chandigarh, April 24, 2026: Punjab’s former Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, reacting strongly to the announcement of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs joining the BJP, said that the entire development clearly shows that both parties are prioritizing their political interests over public concerns.
Randhawa said that discussions about Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Vikram Sahni, Rajendra Gupta, and Swati Maliwal joining the BJP together indicate that political parties are now giving more importance to power and personal interests than to public welfare.
He said that on one hand, the BJP at the Centre is managing political equations through the policy of “Sam, Daam, Dand, Bhed” (persuasion, inducement, punishment, division), while on the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab is also following the same path. Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia himself had announced this in a party meeting. This clearly shows that both parties are distancing themselves from public issues and focusing only on strengthening their political base.
Randhawa said that in a sensitive state like Punjab, where issues such as unemployment, law and order, inflation, and development should be the priority, such political turmoil shows that governments and political parties are ignoring the problems of common people.
He alleged that continuous leadership changes and internal conflicts within the Aam Aadmi Party prove a lack of stability in the party. Earlier, Raghav Chadha was given important responsibilities, then removed; after that, leaders like Dr. Sandeep Pathak and Manish Sisodia were assigned different roles, indicating political experiments in Punjab’s politics.
Randhawa also targeted the central government, saying that investigative agencies are being used to exert political pressure, which is concerning for the democratic system.
He said that today there is a need for governments to focus on real public issues such as employment, security, education, and health. However, unfortunately, in the current political environment, these issues are being ignored while power politics is being prioritized. The former Deputy Chief Minister said that the public is now aware and, in the coming time, will surely respond to such political behavior through democratic means.