Bhagwant Mann's postman joke on Raghav Chadha goes viral: Punjab CM mocks AAP leader joining BJP, ‘Once upon a time…’

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently took a sharp dig at Raghav Chadha. He used a humorous story to mock Chadha's defection from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP. The joke quickly went viral across social media platforms in Punjab and beyond.

CM Bhagwant Mann narrated a story about an NRI who got married in India.

“Once upon a time, a man from Canada, the US or some foreign country came to India and got married. But, he had to leave for work,” Mann said.

As he had to depart, leaving his newly-married wife, the man promised his wife he would write a letter every single day.

He kept his promise and sent letters faithfully for six months. When he finally returned home, his wife was nowhere to be found. Neighbours told him she had run away with the postman. The postman used to visit daily to deliver the husband's letters.

Mann then connected the story directly to Raghav Chadha. He said Chadha used to be in the Rajya Sabha alongside those who’d regularly break parties. He was always around people who'd destroy political organisations from within.

“He'd have left eventually,” Mann said.

By taking exactly two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha strength, they legally avoided disqualification. This constitutional provision allows such a merger without attracting the anti-defection law.

Chadha described AAP as corrupt and compromised during his departure statement. He called himself the right man who had been in the wrong party. He also cited a toxic work environment as a key reason for leaving.

The friction had been building for several weeks before the final break. AAP removed Chadha as Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha on 2 April. Ashok Mittal replaced him in that position without any prior warning.

AAP also reportedly asked the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to deny Chadha speaking time. Chadha responded with a viral video titled "Silenced, Not Defeated" soon after.

By that time, Bhagwant Mann had already publicly labelled him as compromised with the BJP before the defection.

AAP's presence in the Rajya Sabha has now shrunk to just three members. Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta and Balbir Singh Seechewal remain the only AAP MPs in the Upper House.

According to another user, Chadha betrayed Punjab for personal financial gains in Delhi. One user asked who was responsible for the Rajya Sabha situation and who the real traitors were.

“As much as the hearts of the AAP ones suffered today, the same hearts of the people of Punjab suffered on that day when you made them Rajya Sabha members,” wrote one user.

“Blind people with no sense keep abusing him, while, on the other side, the BJP people keep threatening and filing cases to pull leaders into their party. Either all of them are fools who don’t understand anything, or they think everyone else is a fool,” came from another.