The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to engineer defections in the state under what it described as “Operation Lotus.” The charge comes after AAP MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj alleged that she was approached with an offer to switch sides.

Speaking to reporters, Bharaj claimed that Nayab Singh Saini, the Chief Minister of Haryana, had tried to reach out to her in recent days. According to her, she was offered a BJP ticket from Sangrur and assured that any political demands she made would be accommodated. She further alleged that she was invited for a private meeting to discuss the proposal.

Rejecting the alleged overture, Bharaj said her political journey began in 2014 when she joined AAP as a teenager, inspired by leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. She recalled working at the grassroots level, putting up posters and campaigning for the party. “AAP is the only platform that gave a small farmer’s daughter the opportunity to become an MLA at 27,” she said, asserting her loyalty to the party.

AAP’s Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu echoed the allegations, accusing the BJP of trying to destabilize the state government through inducements. He claimed that previous attempts to weaken AAP legislators had failed and insisted that such strategies would not succeed in Punjab.