BJP’s Tajinder Bagga shared video clips of AAP Minister Balkar Singh flashing his private part to female job-seeker

Amidst the ongoing fallout involving Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) finds itself ensnared in yet another controversy, this time just ahead of the Punjab Lok Sabha elections. Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, a leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has made startling allegations against Punjab AAP Minister Balkar Singh. Bagga accuses Singh of engaging in sexual misconduct—specifically, masturbating—during a video call with a woman who had approached him seeking employment.

According to Bagga, a 21-year-old woman reached out to Balkar Singh for a job opportunity. Allegedly, Singh took her number, promising to call her back.

However, Bagga asserts that Singh, who serves as the local bodies minister and MLA for Kartarpur Sahib, pressured the woman to undress during the video call, suggesting that this was a prerequisite for securing employment.

Bagga claims to have shared edited footage of the video call on social media, citing its explicit and inappropriate nature as the reason for not releasing the entire video. He has demanded the immediate expulsion of Balkar Singh, giving a 24-hour ultimatum to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

“Sack Balkar Singh within 24 hours or else you will have to face angry consequences of people in upcoming Punjab elections,” Bagga said.

These accusations have surfaced just five days before Punjab’s scheduled voting in the Lok Sabha Elections of 2024, injecting further tension into an already heated political climate.

The recent scandal compounds the troubles for AAP, following the highly publicised assault case involving MP Swati Maliwal.

The Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress parties in Punjab have condemned the incident, criticising CM Mann for allegedly protecting ministers like Balkar Singh and Lal Chand Kataruchak, whose involvement in similar scandals has come to light.

They lashed out at CM Mann for “protecting & shielding characterless ministers like Balkar Singh & Lal. Chand Kataruchak whose sex tapes have emerged in the public domain.”

Rekha Sharma, the chief of the National Commission for Women (NCW), has expressed shock over the incident and has vowed to investigate further.

Informing on X, she said “Taking up the cognizence.”

Balkar Singh, a former deputy commissioner of police from Jalandhar, entered politics after retiring from the Punjab police force in January 2021. He currently represents the AAP as the MLA for the Kartarpur Assembly constituency in Punjab.

The AAP had secured a significant victory in the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections, clinching 92 out of 117 seats and securing a commanding 79% majority. Bhagwant Mann was subsequently sworn in as the chief minister on March 16.

As Punjab gears up for voting across all 13 Lok Sabha seats on June 1, the political landscape sees a four-way contest involving the Congress, AAP, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the BJP.