Punjab MLA Dr Raj Chabbewal resigns from Congress, joins AAP

Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.

The developments have come a few weeks after both Congress and AAP resisted stitching up an alliance in the state. The AAP is now taking Congress leaders into its fold.

Congress sources said the party learnt about his talks with AAP two days ago and approached him. “He has made up his mind. We tried to convince him but he could not be stopped,” a leader said.

If Chabbewal joins AAP, he would have to resign from the Assembly.

Earlier, former Congress MLA Sushil Kumar Rinku had joined AAP and was fielded from Jalandhar in the Lok Sabha bye-elections two years ago. He is now the lone sitting MP of AAP.

A doctor turned politician 

Known for his vocal opposition to the ruling AAP in Punjab, Dr. Chabbewal has been a prominent critic of the government’s policies. During a recent Vidhan Sabha session, he symbolically carried a bale on his head to highlight Punjab’s mounting debt under the current administration, emphasizing that the state’s debt has surged to ₹4.33 lakh crore with an additional daily borrowing of ₹100 crore under AAP rule. In a dramatic gesture, he even tried to present a chain to the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, urging AAP legislators to confine themselves at home during the upcoming elections, reflecting his discontent with their performance.

Despite his fervent criticisms, Dr. Chabbewal now finds himself transitioning to the very government he has vehemently opposed. In a recent interview with The Indian Express, he lambasted the AAP for its failures across various sectors, particularly in healthcare and education, citing alarming vacancies in teaching positions and a surge in drug-related issues plaguing his constituency.

Dr. Chabbewal, a medical professional with an MBBS and MD (radiodiagnosis) from Government Medical College, Amritsar, ventured into politics in 2010 with the aim of expanding his social work. He joined Congress and contested the 2012 assembly elections but lost. However, he emerged victorious in the 2017 assembly elections and secured a second term in his constituency. He was the only Congress candidate to win in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections from Hoshiarpur, a district with seven assembly segments. Despite his political engagements, he continues to manage his chain of Raj 3-D Scan and Diagnosis Centres across four districts in Punjab and Gagrate in Himachal Pradesh, remaining actively involved in their administration.

Dr. Chabbewal has expressed concerns about the state of education and the rise in drug-related issues, calling for urgent action from the government. He highlighted the alarming number of vacancies in teaching positions and the rampant sale of drugs in villages, emphasising the need for effective measures to tackle these challenges and maintain law and order in the state.