Ex-Cricketer Harbhajan Singh Hits Out at AAP Over Punjab Law-and-Order, Rajya Sabha Row

A viral video showing the alleged abduction of a four-and-a-half-year-old girl in broad daylight in Punjab has triggered a major political storm, drawing former cricketer-turned-politician Harbhajan Singh into a bitter confrontation with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and reopening questions about the party’s internal crisis ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

The incident took place in Kurali , where CCTV footage reportedly showed armed men snatching the child from her grandparents before fleeing in a vehicle. Reports claimed the accused also attempted to run over the elderly couple during the escape. The girl’s family later linked the incident to an ongoing custody dispute.

Reacting to the disturbing visuals, Harbhajan Singh, who recently switched from AAP to the BJP , tagged Punjab Police on social media and questioned the deteriorating law-and-order situation under the Bhagwant Mann-led government. However, the issue quickly turned political after AAP supporters accused him of selectively targeting the Punjab government following his defection.

The controversy escalated when a social media user called Harbhajan a “traitor” and questioned why he had not resigned from the Rajya Sabha seat given to him by AAP. In response, the former India spinner launched a sharp attack on the party leadership, alleging that Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab were “sold” for money.

Harbhajan claimed he could reveal “who received how much” in alleged kickbacks and accused certain leaders of being appointed ministers and officials only to “loot Punjab” and funnel money to the party leadership. The allegations marked the strongest public criticism yet from one of the seven former AAP Rajya Sabha MPs who joined the BJP in April, including Raghav Chadha , Swati Maliwal , Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak .

The defections severely weakened AAP in Parliament. The party, which earlier had 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, is now left with only three members in the Upper House. The rebellion has also intensified political uncertainty in Punjab, now considered AAP’s last major power centre after setbacks in Delhi.

While AAP has dismissed the defections as a BJP-backed operation to destabilize Punjab, neither Arvind Kejriwal nor Bhagwant Mann has directly responded to Harbhajan Singh’s bribery allegations so far.