Harbhajan’s initial remarks, which started a controversy, came in response to questions on the Mann government’s ‘war against drugs’ under which many houses of alleged drug smugglers have been demolished in the last three weeks. Harbhajan then said while he supported the arrests of such criminals, he was against the demolition of properties.
“In my view, people who are selling drugs should be arrested. People who are consuming drugs or selling drugs should face action as well. They should be made aware of how harmful it is for them. Razing anyone’s house is not in anyone’s favour. Under a roof, six to eight were residing…There are better ways than razing houses where people lived,” Harbhajan said Tuesday.
As video clips of his remarks went viral, Harbhajan took to X Wednesday, announcing “complete support” for the Punjab Police and government.
“Let me make it very clear. @AAPPunjab govt is the first govt in Punjab taking such drastic action against drug’s smugglers. I stand in complete support of Punjab Police and the government. Finally we have a govt which is serious about eradicating drugs and the message is clear. Together We will win this war against drugs. Let’s make our Great state free from any kind of Nasha (addiction),” Harbhajan posted.
Out of sync
The former Indian cricketer found himself out of sync with the AAP leadership as the party is faced with questions on the choice of sending him to the Upper House three years ago.
Even in January 2024, Harbhajan raised eyebrows by asserting he would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya “no matter who wants to or not”. His intervention came when the Opposition was training guns at the BJP for making a “political event” out of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.
On top of that, in the ongoing state budget session, Harbhajan has not been to the Parliament even once. His attendance was a meagre five per cent during the winter session.
Incidentally, it was his “enthusiasm” to work for the welfare of Punjab that the AAP cited as one of the factors behind his nomination to the Rajya Sabha in March 2022.
In reality, what clinched the deal in Harbhajan’s favour was his close friendship with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a celebrity in his own right in the state as an actor, singer and comedian, AAP sources said.
“Not everyone was happy with the choices that the party made. It was not just about Harbhajan Singh, but the other names too. But the party had just come to power, and Mann’s popularity was at its peak. Naturally, there was not much noise about sending a former cricket star with a clean, non-controversial image to the Rajya Sabha,” an AAP functionary told ThePrint.
With the sheen wearing off the Mann government now, besides Harbhajan’s lacklustre performance as a parliamentarian, the AAP is again faced with uncomfortable questions that it could once gloss over.
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Why Harbhajan?
In March 2022, along with Harbhajan, the AAP nominated former IIT Delhi professor Sandeep Pathak, later made the party’s general secretary (organisation); businessman Sanjeev Arora, the founder and chancellor of Lovely Professional University; businessman Ashok Kumar Mittal; and chartered accountant Raghav Chadha to the Upper House from Punjab.
Two months later, the party nominated environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal and entrepreneur-philanthropist Vikramjit Singh Sahney to the Rajya Sabha from the state. All the seven nominees comfortably secured their berths due to the AAP’s overwhelming majority—it won 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly.
“CM Mann had pushed the names of Harbhajan Singh and Seechewal. The party’s central leadership largely picked the remaining faces. Harbhajan hails from Jalandhar. Apart from his popularity as a cricketer, Mann also wanted to use him to undercut the influence of former hockey star Pargat Singh, also from Jalandhar, and Navjot Singh Sidhu in state politics,” a source close to the AAP leadership said.
Pargat Singh and Sidhu are with the Congress. While both have served as Cabinet ministers in Congress-led governments in Punjab, Sidhu has also served as the president of the state’s Congress unit. Ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, Sidhu had posted a photo of him with Harbhajan on ‘X’ with the caption—”Picture loaded with possibilities.. with bhajji, the shining star”—triggering speculations that the former off-spinner, popularly known as Bhajji, might join the Congress.
However, Harbhajan’s lacklustre performance as a parliamentarian so far, coupled with his reticence in defending the AAP in public forums, has raised question marks on the party’s choice in nominating him to the Upper House.
According to the official records, his attendance in the Rajya Sabha stands at 43%, much below the national average of 80%. He has participated only in two debates to date—one on the attacks on Gurudwaras and Sikhs in Afghanistan, and the other on upgrading a hospital in Talwara into an AIIMS.
ThePrint reached Harbhajan through his staff, and a response is awaited.
Kejriwal’s arrest
Harbhajan’s silence after the arrest of top party leaders, including that of founder Arvind Kejriwal in March 2024, rankled the AAP leadership and workers. On 26 July that year, over four months after Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, Harbhajan finally met the former Delhi CM’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal.
“Had a very long and fruitful discussion with Sunita ji. We all stand in solidarity with Arvindji and AAP. Jai Hind,” Harbhajan posted on X after the meeting.
The second time he commented on the arrest was after Kejriwal obtained bail in September 2024.
“We are very happy when our dear leader Arvind Kejriwal got bail from the Supreme Court. This will give new energy to our workers and strengthen the Haryana campaign of AAP.Arvind Kejriwal will serve the people with the same commitment in future also,” Harbhajan wrote on X on 13 September 2024.
Before the Delhi assembly polls earlier this year, Harbhajan attended four road shows, including one at former CM Atishi’s constituency, Kalkaji.
At the same time, Harbhajan has been flourishing in his other pursuits as a cricket commentator, social media influencer, and actor in the Tamil film industry.
The sports icon has over 11 million followers on X and another 18 million on Instagram. His reels on Instagram draw huge attention. His acting career in Tamil films has also kept the former cricketer, married to popular Punjabi actress Geeta Basra, busy.
He first starred in John Paul Raj’s Tamil film Friendship and will soon be seen in another Tamil film, Saviour. Harbhajan has also acted in Second Husband, Dikkiloona, and Thiruvalluvar Consultancy Services.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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