A transnational businessman, philanthropist and vocal supporter of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Padma Shri awardee Vikramjit Singh Sahney, 64, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in 2022. With roots in Kotkapura in Faridkot district, Sahney is known for his social work, including running skill centres for youth in Punjab through his NGO, Sun Foundation.Recently, he, along with six other AAP Rajya Sabha members led by Raghav Chadha, switched to the BJP, triggering a political storm in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.AdvertisementIn this interview with The Indian Express, Sahney speaks about why he joined hands with AAP, what led to his exit, his equation with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and his concerns over Punjab’s direction.What made you accept AAP’s Rajya Sabha nomination in 2022, despite your known closeness to both the BJP and Congress?Raghav Chadha was the first from AAP to approach me with the proposal, and I agreed.I had clearly told them about my links with both the BJP and Congress beforehand. The only mandate AAP gave me was to work for Punjab and raise the state’s issues in Parliament, so I agreed. They never asked me to join the party formally, and I never did.AdvertisementI had also told them that, as part of my philanthropic work, I had promoted several Central government initiatives, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, but they had no issue with that.In 2022, Chadha met me at the World Economic Forum in Davos and said Arvind Kejriwal was looking for credible Punjabi faces to fill Rajya Sabha seats, even across party lines.When I met Kejriwal, he appreciated that I had cross-party links. He tweeted that he was sending two Padma Shri awardees, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal and me, to the Rajya Sabha. Neither of us formally joined AAP. I remain grateful to him for sending me to the Rajya Sabha.They knew politics was never my forte, and campaigning and electoral politics were never my space. My mandate was to work for the state of Punjab and raise its concerns. I am now running six world-class youth skill training centres in Punjab, including the largest in Ludhiana, as well as drug rehabilitation centres and other initiatives.I was working for Punjab even before AAP came to power. During Covid, when Captain Amarinder Singh was Chief Minister, we arranged thousands of oxygen cylinders for Punjab hospitals. My only aim has always been to see Punjab prosper, regardless of which party is in power. Unfortunately, that is not happening.Was your decision to switch to the BJP influenced by Raghav Chadha?It was a collective decision by all seven of us, including Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak and Rajinder Gupta.My association with AAP was limited to raising Punjab’s issues in Parliament. I also helped the Punjab government evacuate youth stranded abroad because of my links with the BJP-led Centre. My priority was never any political party, whether AAP or BJP, but the people of Punjab.I will always remain grateful to AAP and to Kejriwal for sending me to the Rajya Sabha to work for Punjab.How did matters deteriorate to the point of your exit?The decline began when three of AAP’s core members, Chadha, Pathak and Maliwal, were sidelined. They were the backbone of the party.In the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, Pathak distributed 94 tickets in Punjab. He and Chadha virtually ran the campaign and helped the party secure a thumping majority. Maliwal was a key pillar in Delhi.I was never part of AAP’s political bureau, but it was evident that the party had fallen out with some of its most trusted people.First came the fallout with Maliwal. After AAP’s defeat in the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls, Pathak became deeply frustrated. Chadha still tried to make things work, but after that defeat, his wings, too, were clipped. He was asked to leave Punjab and was made chairman of an advisory board that never functioned. The final blow came when he was stripped of the Deputy Leader’s position in the Rajya Sabha.That affected all of us. The question we asked ourselves was: What is Punjab’s future with this party?AAP alleges the seven MPs were poached by the BJP, with central agencies such as the ED being used as pressure tactics. Your response?That is completely false. It began with Chadha, Maliwal and Pathak deciding to leave because of their issues with the party. They then approached the rest of us.Even if Ashok Mittal left because of ED pressure, and I am not saying he did, what about the others? At least in my case, I was never approached by the BJP.You have often criticised Punjab’s subsidy-driven welfare model….Yes, because there has to be balance. You cannot make Punjab a begging bowl. The state’s debt has already risen to Rs 4.5 lakh crore.Punjab is a food bowl, not a begging bowl.Instead of giving Rs 1,000 to every woman, why not promote Self-Help Groups and help them become self-reliant? Give sewing machines or food-processing equipment to BPL families so they can start earning. Create income streams.I am not saying subsidies should be stopped altogether. But support should reach those who genuinely need it.I run Sikhya Langar to fund the education of underprivileged children. If I can educate 48 children from my MP salary, the government can do much more. We are not allocating scarce resources wisely.Were your suggestions for Punjab ignored?Largely, yes.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is always too busy to meet anyone, even his own MPs.He neither values suggestions for Punjab’s betterment nor has he ever guided us on what issues concerning Punjab should be raised in Parliament. I respect him as Chief Minister, but there is no output and no visible delivery.Punjab is in constant decline, law and order, agriculture, debt, drugs, groundwater depletion, pick any sector. There is not one area where we can say Punjab is doing well. There is simply no vision. Their only concern appears to be 2027, not Punjab or Punjabis.You have said there was little equation between you and Bhagwant Mann…That is true because he never meets people and does not value suggestions.I am a Harvard alumnus. If I suggest something for my state, it is after considerable thought. Yet, there was never any engagement.Had he taken MPs seriously, he would have met us before Parliament sessions, briefed us on issues to raise, and discussed Punjab’s concerns with the Centre. We wrote many letters, but he never reached out. Often, we learned more about Punjab’s issues from newspapers than from our own Chief Minister.I raised Punjab’s pending water dues with Rajasthan on my own, but he never contacted me on the matter.That said, ministers such as Harpal Cheema, Harjot Bains and Dr Balbir Singh are humble people, and I have worked with them on several projects. But that spirit is missing at the top.What do you mean by that?Making people laugh by cracking jokes on stage is one thing, while governing as Chief Minister is another.Ninety per cent of a Chief Minister’s speech should be about facts, work delivered, and a vision for Punjab. He should speak about how Punjab can be pulled out of this crisis, not dwell on old college stories, shero-shayari and banter.A little humour is fine. But governance cannot be built on chutkale and gupshup. These are momentary things. Punjab is on ventilator support. We cannot afford this.There is also a serious deficit in trust and communication with the Chief Minister.AAP has called the seven Rajya Sabha members who left “gaddar”. We have committed no betrayal of Punjab or Punjabis.My constituency is the whole of Punjab. I issued my own report card as an MP, and people can judge for themselves that I have consistently raised Punjab’s rights in Parliament.I still thank AAP for sending me to the Rajya Sabha. But circumstances left me with no other option.Before deciding to join the BJP, I spoke to Kejriwal. He asked me to resign as a Rajya Sabha member. But would my resignation have resolved anything within AAP?He himself was in disbelief that even Pathak was leaving. When three of the party’s most trusted people were dissatisfied, what was I expected to do?I worked for Punjab before becoming an MP, and even if I am not an MP tomorrow, I will continue to do so.I have only one dream: a world-class skill centre for youth in every district of Punjab, and a drug-free Punjab.