4 min readMay 2, 2026 05:09 PM IST
First published on: May 2, 2026 at 03:17 PM IST
Days after switching over from AAP to BJP, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjeet Singh Sahney launched a scatching attack on the Punjab government and said that central schemes carrying the “PM” prefix are being blocked in the state.
He added that this is a “gaddari” (betrayal) with Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiat.
Sahney was addressing the “janta di vidhan sabha” (people’s assembly) organised by the BJP outside its headquarters in Chandigarh, a programme that continued for over three-and-a-half hours.
Sahney and six other Rajya Sabha members from AAP had last week switched over to the BJP, which prompted his former party colleagues to term him and the others “gaddars”.
The people’s assembly saw 89-year-old former Lok Sabha deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal preside in the role of Speaker. Sahney delivered his first public address from the party platform and began his speech by singing a few lines dedicated to labourers and concluded with a nazm (poetic composition) underscoring the need to speak up and work for Punjab’s welfare.
Opening his address on an emotional note, Sahney sang,“ajj kuke anakh Punjab di koi karo duawan (today the pride of Punjab cries out, someone offer prayers).” He added that nearly 63 central government schemes are available for Punjab’s welfare, including PM Shri Schools and the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, along with schemes for industry and MSMEs. “But to my surprise, any scheme which has a prefix PM is literally blocked in Punjab. This is gaddari with Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiat. The scheme has the word PM, and PM is of the whole nation. It is not Narendra Modi’s scheme but Pradhan Mantri scheme, and we must avail such schemes,” he said.
Questioning the state’s approach towards the Centre, Sahney said, “what is cooperative federalism? Is it to wake up in the morning and start abusing PM or home minister and later say they don’t think about Punjab? For the welfare of masses, we need close coordination with the Union government and must avail their schemes.”
He added that the Ludhiana airport project at Halwara is entirely funded by the Centre and deserves appreciation, adding that several such projects have been supported by the Centre. “Rather than indulging in credit wars, we must think about the larger interest of aam aadmi (common man),” he said.
On financial issues, Sahney referred to a meeting with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the release of the rural development fund (RDF), stating that the pending amount was around Rs 2,900 crore. He questioned the higher figure cited by CM Bhagwant Mann to the tune of Rs 8000 crore, saying it creates a misleading narrative among the public. He suggested party to clear the narrative by reaching out to masses.
Raising concerns over last year floods, Sahney said a judicial inquiry would have cleared all doubts, alleging that no significant river embankment work was carried out before last year’s floods and that the situation remains unchanged.
Recalling his tenure in AAP, Sahney said he had adopted 42 villages during last year’s floods and facilitated girdawaris (crop damage assessments). However, he claimed that 82.4% of affected farmers in those villages are yet to receive the announced compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre, despite the Centre releasing its share.
Interestingly, Sandeep Jakhar, nephew of Sunil Jakhar and a suspended Congress MLA from Abohar, was present at the event, though not in the Assembly session. While he has neither formally joined the BJP nor been expelled from Congress, he has been actively participating in BJP activities since his uncle’s switch over to the party in May 2022.
Vikramjeet Singh Sahney with Amit Shah after joining the BJP 
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