हिंदी
Dr Daljit S Cheema says taking action against the MPs was within parliament’s domain and not the President’s discretion
Chandigarh, 25 April 2026
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today described Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s decision to seek an appointment with the President to recall party Rajya Sabha MPs who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party as political theatre and reminded him that under the tenth schedule of the Constitution taking action against MPs was parliament’s domain and not the President’s discretion.
In a statement here, senior party leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the anti defection law was clear that in case two third of members of a particular party merged with another, no action could be taken against them.
Telling the Chief Minister that he had no right to take any high moral ground on this issue, Dr Cheema reminded him that he had approved the defection of one out of the three MLAs of the SAD into AAP and even made the legislator the Chairman of a public sector undertaking.
The SAD leader said before seeking remedies that did not exist constitutionally, AAP should explain why it had nominated ultra-wealthy outsiders to the Rajya Sabha instead of genuine “Aam Aadmi” representatives of Punjab? “The people also deserve clarity that if accountability is the principle, do citizens have the right to recall MLAs who have failed them or is your accountability selective?”, Dr Cheema asked.
Asserting that instead of resorting to symbolic petitions in Delhi, AAP should face the people of Punjab. “If the party truly believes in democratic morality, it should go to the Lok Bhawan, Punjab and request the Governor for a fresh mandate. Only that and not constitutional posturing will restore public trust in the party”, he added. EOM
