Punjab CM Bhagwant Manns cousin Gyan Singh joins BJP

PTC Web Desk: In a significant political development ahead of Punjab’s upcoming civic elections, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s cousin, Gyan Singh, on Monday joined the BJP.

Gyan Singh Mann joined the BJP in the presence of senior BJP leader Sunil Jakhar and Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, a move that is likely to intensify political debates in the state with less than a year left for key Assembly elections.

The development is being seen as an embarrassment for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), particularly at a time when the party has been facing criticism from opposition parties and dealing with internal challenges in Punjab.

Joining the BJP, Gyan Singh Mann said, “I thank Nayab Singh Saini and Sunil Jakhar for inducting me into the BJP. In 2014, I had joined the Aam Aadmi Party. However, after the party formed the government in 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party changed from being a party of the common people to a party of the privileged. None of the Rajya Sabha members elected from Punjab were party workers. The situation in Punjab has worsened, with drugs reaching every household. Corruption and unemployment are continuously increasing. Looking at the condition of Punjab, I have decided to leave AAP. CM Mann is like my brother and I stand with him personally, but I am quitting AAP. People coming from Delhi are running the Punjab government. Only the BJP can save Punjab now.”

Gyan Singh Mann has, on several occasions in the past, publicly raised questions over the functioning of the Punjab Government and remained vocal on issues affecting the state. During the devastating floods in Punjab, he had criticised the government’s handling of the situation and alleged administrative failures had worsened public suffering.

He has also frequently expressed his views on major policy matters through social media posts and public remarks, often taking positions different from those of the state government.

Political observers believe his decision to join the BJP could provide the opposition another opportunity to target the AAP government ahead of the upcoming electoral battles in Punjab.