New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has scheduled back-to-back appointments on May 5 to address the deepening political rift in Punjab, with Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha set to present his grievances before Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann arrives. Chadha, who recently led a group of lawmakers in a merger with the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been granted an early audience at 10:40 am. He intends to use this first session to formally report allegations of political vendetta, claiming that the provincial government has been deploying state machinery to target those who chose to leave the Aam Aadmi Party. Accompanied by three fellow representatives, Chadha’s objective is to seek presidential oversight regarding the alleged misuse of administrative resources for partisan purposes.
Following this morning session, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is slated to meet with the President at 12 noon to present a contrasting perspective. Mann’s primary goal is to advocate for the unprecedented recall of the rebel lawmakers, asserting that their shift in allegiance constitutes a betrayal of the mandate delivered by the Punjab Legislative Assembly. To highlight the collective resolve of his administration, the Chief Minister is organizing a large delegation of 80 MLAs to accompany him to the capital, where they will wait outside Rashtrapati Bhavan during the meeting. The sequence of these appointments ensures that the President will first hear concerns regarding the safety and rights of the defecting group shortly before receiving the provincial government’s formal demand for their removal.
