Days after seven of the party's Rajya Sabha MPs defected to the BJP, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, on Friday moved a Confidence Motion during the special session of the Assembly.
The motion was moved by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, asserting that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is strong and expanidng.
There are rumours that AAP will be finished and its MLAs would switch sides, and such rumours create an illusion in people's minds, CM Mann said in the House while moving the motion.
"The party is strong. From Jammu and Kashmir to Goa, the party has a presence. In J&K's Doda, we have an MLA. Our government in Punjab is running successfully. In Delhi, we are in the opposition. We have five MLAs in Gujarat, two in Goa.
"Besides, AAP has its mayors, councillors, sarpanches at various places, the party has a national presence," Mann said.
The ruling party had earlier issued a whip to all legislators to attend the one-day session.
In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, AAP enjoys an overwhelming majority, with 94 MLAs while 16 belong to the Congress, one BSP, three SAD, two BJP and one Independent.
On April 24, AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs -- Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- quit and merged with the BJP, alleging that the party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Six of the seven MPs who quit AAP were from Punjab.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Monday officially accepted the merger of the MPs with the BJP, reducing the strength of Kejriwal's party in the Upper House to three.
(With inputs from PTI)
