Was she coerced to submit resignation or she voluntarily put her papers is key question
CHANDIGARH: A political storm has erupted in Punjab over the resignation of AAP MLA Anmol Gagan Mann from the Kharar assembly seat, with conflicting statements from top Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders raising serious questions about the timeline and circumstances of her decision to quit.
Anmol Gagan Mann, who had been dropped from the state cabinet earlier this year, posted a cryptic message on her Facebook page on July 18, stating: “My resignation given to Speaker Sahib from the post of MLA should be accepted.” The wording has triggered widespread speculation — did she resign on the same day or had her resignation been submitted much earlier and deliberately kept under wraps?
Sources indicate that Mann had tendered her resignation nearly a month ago, and the matter was known to top party functionaries, including AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, and Punjab AAP president Aman Arora. However, when the matter became public, all three appeared to feign ignorance.
CM Bhagwant Mann told the media he had “just heard” about the resignation and would discuss it in a party meeting. Speaker Sandhwan claimed he was unaware of any such development and would need to check with his office. Aman Arora said he was busy in his constituency and had no knowledge of the resignation.
Observers have pointed to the vague nature of Anmol Gagan Mann’s post, which makes no mention of a specific date. Her line — “With a heavy heart, but I've decided to leave politics” — has further fueled speculation that the resignation may not have been entirely voluntary.
Adding intrigue to the episode is her meeting with Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi on July 15. Whether she sought the meeting to rescind her resignation or was summoned and pressured to confirm it remains unclear. Political insiders suggest that she may have been sidelined since being dropped from the cabinet and was possibly coerced into stepping down.
The timing of her resignation is also being linked to political developments in Kharar. A day before Mann’s Facebook post, her political rival and former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Ranjit Singh Gill announced his resignation from SAD. Speculation is rife that Gill, a realtor with considerable business interests in Mohali, could be inducted into AAP and fielded from Kharar in the next election. Gill was defeated by Anmol Gagan Mann by a margin of over 17, 000 votes in 2022 and was once known to be close to SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
With mounting questions and no official clarity, critics are now accusing the AAP leadership of misleading the public. If Mann’s resignation was indeed submitted weeks ago, why did the CM, Speaker, and AAP president maintain they were unaware?
The lack of transparency has eroded public trust, raising serious doubts over the internal functioning of AAP in Punjab and exposing possible fissures within the party ranks.
As the controversy continues to unfold, pressure is mounting on the AAP leadership to come clean on when and why Anmol Gagan Mann resigned — and whether the top brass misled the people of Punjab.