India News | Raghav Chadha Leads Breakaway to BJP; AAP to Seek Their Disqualification from Rajya Sabha
by ANI · LatestLYNew Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a major setback after its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who was removed as party's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha earlier, joined the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday.
Chadha, while addressing a presser in the national capital, formalised a split that had been building for weeks, announcing that two-thirds of the party's Upper House members would merge with the BJP.
The move triggered furious reactions from AAP leaders while drawing a warm welcome from the BJP.
The trio MPs -- Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal -- announced a split in the party and joined the BJP later in the presence of party chief Nitin Nabin, who welcomed the decision.
Also Read | Remaining AAP MPs in Rajya Sabha: Who Stays After Raghav Chadha Joins BJP With 6 Others?.
As this happened, Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh announced that he will write to the Rajya Sabha chairman to demand the disqualification of the three MPs, citing the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which details provisions of disqualification on the grounds of defection.
While announcing the merger during a press conference, Raghav Chadha framed the decision as a matter of conscience, stating, "The AAP, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat, and gave 15 years of my youth to, has deviated from its principles, values and core morals. Now this party does not work in the interest of the nation but for its personal benefits...For the past few years, I could feel that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, we announce that I am distancing myself from the AAP and getting closer to the public."
"There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, more than 2/3rd of them are with us in this. They have signed, and this morning we submitted the signed letter and documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman...three of them are here before you. Besides us, there are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal," he added.
Chadha stated that there were only two options left for him, "either quit politics and give up our public work in the last 15-16 years". He did not hold back in expressing his emotional turmoil, stating that he feels "sad, hurt, and deeply disappointed" at the transformation of a movement he once believed in wholeheartedly.
"I did not enter politics to build a career; I entered to serve the nation and contribute to building a corruption-free India," he said.
He cited the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and India's rapid progress in recent years as key factors influencing his decision.
Reflecting on the mutual relationship between the party and its MPs, Chadha said, "If the party gave us a platform, we 7 MPs -- and even 2/3rd of the MPs -- also gave a lot to the party. Any party distributes responsibilities, and AAP gave us a great deal. In return, I gave everything I had to AAP. I helped build AAP's very identity and atmosphere."
Rajya Sabha member Sandeep Pathak also said, "I had never thought that such a situation would ever occur in my life. But it did. I was a part of this party for 10 years. Today, I am separating my path from that of the AAP. When it came to joining a party, I joined AAP because they spoke of new politics and politics of work. In 10 years, I worked hard. All political decisions I made were taken by prioritising the party's interests."
The rupture had been building for weeks, as an open rift between the party was visible after AAP leadership removed Chadha as deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, following which several party leaders attacked him and accused him of being soft towards the BJP.
Ashok Kumar Mittal, who was appointed in his place, also joined the BJP today.
In a direct attack on AAP following his removal earlier, Chadha said his silence in Parliament should not be mistaken for defeat.
AAP's reaction to the split was swift and fiery, with Sanjay Singh terming the MPs as "traitors", a sentiment shared by other party leaders as well.
"Bharatiya Janata Party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have begun their 'Operation Lotus' to stop the good work of Punjab's Bhagwant Mann Government...7 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs are joining the BJP. The people of Punjab should remember these 7 names. These 'traitors' of Punjab would never be forgiven by the people," said Singh.
He characterised the BJP as a party that has "backstabbed" farmers and the people of Punjab, adding, "You will go with them to bring change and revolution. Who will believe such a thing?", further stating that Chadha has gone into the "lap" of the BJP.
In an X post, Manish Sisodia said that while thousands of AAP workers were enduring "threats" from the BJP, to strengthen the party's ideology, these members "struck a deal" out of fear and greed.
"I've been in Gujarat for three days now... At a time when thousands of workers in Gujarat are risking their lives, enduring all dangers and BJP's threats, and toiling blood and sweat to strengthen the party's ideology, it is precisely then that some traitors have struck a deal with the hard-earned blood and sweat of Punjab's workers. Those Rajya Sabha members who have bowed down before the BJP today, who have betrayed the people of Punjab due to their personal compulsions, fear, and greed, should know that Punjab never forgives traitors," the post said.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann was equally blunt and said, "The seven MPs who are joining the BJP don't represent Punjab, they are traitors," adding that they would not benefit from their move to the BJP either.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, addressed the situation in a brief social media post. In a pointed X post, he said, "BJP ne fir se Punjabio ke sath kia dhakka" (The BJP has once again given Punjabis a shove).
The BJP welcomed the split with open arms and turned it into an attack against Kejriwal as Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said the move was natural.
"Arvind Kejriwal has become synonymous with corruption...Money that should be spent on the people of Punjab is being used by him for his own politics in Gujarat and Goa," he told ANI.
This move could prove to be a major setback for the AAP's parliamentary presence and its legislative party, which had a total of ten MPs in the Rajya Sabha. AAP leadership is now looking for action to be taken against the MPs under the anti-defection law. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)