CHANDIGARH: Punjab Minister for Transport and Jails Laljit Singh Bhullar has been dropped from the Bhagwant Mann cabinet following allegations of corruptions against him, as the AAP tries to protect its 'clean image' ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Bhullar is the tenth AAP minister to be dropped from the cabinet in the last four years.
Several ministers and elected officials were dropped or had resigned due to controversies surrounding unethical conduct, party feedback or political rivalry.
In May 2022, the then Health Minister and Mansa MLA Dr Vijay Singla was accused of demanding a 1% commission on tenders and departmental work. CM Mann himself confirmed the allegations and ordered Singla’s arrest. He was granted bail on July 8, 2022 and has remained active in his constituency since then. He was later appointed to committees formed by the Punjab assembly, indicating his political rehabilitation.
In January 2023, Horticulture, Food Processing and Defence Services Welfare Minister Fauja Singh Sarari was asked to resign after an audio clip related to a plan for extortion from food grain contractors surfaced in September 2022. A retired police inspector, he was a first-time MLA from Guru Har Sahai.
In June 2024, Local Bodies Minister and Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh resigned following the public uproar after an 'objectionable' video surfaced on social media accusing him of inappropriate behavior. The controversy sparked protests and demands for action, even reaching then Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Six other ministers exited due to poor performance reviews or political friction.
In May 2023, the then Local Bodies Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar resigned citing personal reasons but the move was widely viewed as a result of internal political conflict. Nijjar had reportedly sided with the owner of a vernacular newspaper who had a strained relationship with CM Mann.
The then Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha as the Member of Parliament from Sangrur. Recently he was elected as secretary of Punjab Cricket Association.
In 2024, Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Anmol Gagan Maan and Brahm Shankar Jimpa were dropped from the cabinet in a reshuffle based on party feedback.
In June 2025, NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was dropped from the cabinet due to alleged perceived inefficiency. He had lost his agriculture, panchayats and rural development portfolio two years earlier. Dhaliwal had surrendered his US citizenship and returned to Punjab to rejoin politics, later joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2015.
Besides ministers, several other elected representatives have found themselves entangled in legal issues.
Last year, Jalandhar (Central) MLA Raman Arora was arrested by Punjab vigilance bureau in a corruption case involving former assistant town planner (ATP) Sukhdev Vashisht. Arora allegedly used Vashisht to issue bogus notices and extort money from targeted individuals.
Earlier, Bathinda Rural MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta was caught in a corruption case on February 23, 2023 by the vigilance after the forensic examination of the audio recording submitted by the complainant proved that the voice in the recording was that of the MLA. Kotfatta had allegedly sought Rs 5 lakh as a bribe for releasing a grant worth Rs 25 lakh for development works in Ghudda village.
In 2023, Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a bank fraud case of Rs 41 crore involving Tara Corporation Limited and later was released on bail.
Another AAP MLA from Sanour, Harmit Singh Pathanmajra, has been on the run since September 2, 2025, after a rape case was filed against him. He is learnt to have fled to Australia.
Despite the AAP’s emphasis on a clean image and a promise to combat corruption, many of these cases have raised questions about the party’s commitment to transparency and accountability.