Chandigarh, Feb 12: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Sangrur, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party attempted to lure her with an election ticket and other inducements as part of a fresh ‘Operation Lotus’ attempt. Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Thursday, Bharaj claimed that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini personally reached out to her with various offers to switch sides.
The MLA mentioned that the proposal included a BJP ticket to contest from Sangrur and an assurance that any other demands she made would be met. She noted that a closed-door meeting was also proposed to finalize the arrangement.
“A few days ago, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini tried to contact me. He tempted me with a BJP ticket from Sangrur and said that whatever demand I had would be fulfilled,” Bharaj said. She added that as the daughter of a small farmer, she owes her political career to the AAP and would not betray the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh Mann.
AAP Punjab State Media Incharge Baltej Pannu, who accompanied the MLA, stated that the BJP is unsuccessfully trying to undermine democracy in the state. He mentioned that despite the government nearing the completion of its fourth year, the opposition has failed to sway even a single legislator through financial offers or political glamour.
“We warn the BJP to put this ‘For Sale’ sign in some other state, because neither any MLA nor any worker in Punjab is for sale,” Pannu noted. He further suggested that the Haryana Chief Minister should focus on his own state’s issues rather than interfering in Punjab’s political landscape.
Bharaj mentioned that she started as a grassroots worker in 2014 and remains fully committed to the party’s agenda of health and education reforms. She noted that the AAP remains united and is already preparing for the 2027 elections, asserting that such tactics would not shake the resolve of its members.
