AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who had demoted Raghav Chadha inside the party weeks prior, suffers a significant blow as a result of Chadha’s action.
New Delhi
A significant portion of the Rajya Sabha MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have defected to the BJP with Raghav Chadha. Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the party and former chief minister of Delhi, suffers a serious setback as a result of his actions. Weeks prior, Kejriwal had demoted him.
At a news conference this afternoon, Chadha said that seven of the AAP’s ten MPs, or two-thirds of its strength in the Upper House, will merge with the BJP. Chadha accused the party, which had previously won power in Delhi on promises to combat corruption, of straying from honest politics.
Live updates on Raghav Chadha’s major move.The decision to unite with the BJP has been signed and forwarded to the Rajya Sabha chairman,” he stated.
Kejriwal accused the BJP of “betraying the Punjabis” as the AAP declared it will seek Chadha’s disqualification.
When two-thirds of a party’s lawmakers choose to combine with another, the nation’s anti-defection law does not apply.
“AAP is Compromised and Corrupt”
Chadha listed Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, Ashok Mittal, and Sandeep Pathak as the four other leaders who are joining the BJP, along with Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal.I dedicated fifteen years of my life to the AAP. The party has now abandoned honest politics. In the wrong party, I am the right man. I’m getting closer to people and leaving the party behind. The 37-year-old leader continued, “The AAP is corrupt and compromised today.”
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, Sanjay Singh, and ND Gupta are the three Rajya Sabha MPs that are still in the AAP following the high-profile departures.
After joining the BJP, Chadha may be appointed as a Union Minister, according to sources.
Since the AAP’s founding in 2012, Chadha has been a dependable lieutenant to Kejriwal, who took power in Delhi in 2015 by riding the wave that followed the anti-corruption movement.
Chadha defended his decision to join the BJP by claiming that the AAP has changed.This party was founded by myself. With complete dedication, we founded the party in Delhi, Punjab, and other regions. The AAP is compromised and crooked today. The old party is no longer the AAP. “I don’t want to participate in AAP’s wrongdoings,” he continued.
He claimed that his only choices were to either quit politics or uphold his moral principles. “We, the two-thirds sitting member AAP from Rajya Sabha will merge with the BJP,” he said, indicating that he has selected option number two.
Speaking at the news conference with Chadha, Pathak revealed that he had been considering leaving the AAP for the previous six and a half months.
The AAP and Kejriwal, according to Swati Maliwal, who claimed in 2024 that she had been beaten by one of Kejriwal’s assistants, had abandoned the ideals, principles, and commitment to honest politics with which the party had begun.In an online post, she stated, “I have decided to leave the Aam Aadmi Party today because of the unchecked corruption growing in the party under Kejriwal ji’s patronage, incidents of harassment and assault against women, the promotion of thuggish elements, and the betrayal and looting happening with Punjab.”
Shortly after Chadha’s news conference, the AAP spoke to the media and accused the BJP of betraying its former leader. In a sharply worded statement, the AAP said that although Chadha was appointed an MP by the party, the BJP ultimately took control of him.The AAP government led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has done tremendous job, but the BJP has done the work of blocking it. Seven members of the AAP Rajya Sabha will join the BJP. These seven names are important for Punjabis to keep in mind. They would always be remembered by the people of Punjab, the party declared.
According to Singh, he would also write to the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, requesting that Chadha, Mittal, and Pathak be removed from office as MPs for joining the BJP since “this is tantamount to voluntarily relinquishing membership of their original party under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.”
In a one-line statement, party leader Arvind Kejriwal said, “The BJP has once again betrayed the Punjabis.”
A Disagreement That Surfaced in Public
It was hardly surprising when Chadha merged with the BJP. It comes after the AAP ousted him as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, sparking a huge uproar that exposed their apparent schism. Additionally, the AAP had asked the chairman of the Rajya Sabha not to give Chadha any of the party’s allotted speaking time in the House.
In video communications, the youthful leader criticised the action, calling it a “coordinated action” and a “scripted campaign” against him.
Chadha was then accused by the AAP of refusing to sign the impeachment resolution against the chief election commissioner, failing to join the opposition during parliament walkouts, and bringing up only unimportant concerns because he had grown “scared.”
He had replied that there was no truth to the accusations. “Every inquiry will be addressed, and every falsehood will be revealed. In one of his films, he stated, “Because I am wounded, I am lethal.”
Earlier this month, the AAP-led Punjab government also removed Chadha’s Z-plus protection. Soon after, the Union Home Ministry intervened and provided the MP with security cover.
