New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party parliamentarians quit the party and joined the BJP. With joining these 7 MPs from AAP , BJP strength in Rajya Sabha increased to 113 from 106 and NDA now will have 136 members .
Addressing a press conference with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Mr. Chadha, who was recently demoted by AAP, said, “We have decided that we, the 2/3rd members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha, exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP.”
Mr. Chadha said, “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 close to public.”
Mr. Pathak and Mr. Mittal also quit the Aam Aadmi Party.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha said, “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. 3 of them are here before you. Besides us, there are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal.”
Punjab should remember these seven names: Sanjay Singh:
Reacting to the exit of seven MPs, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, “The BJP has done the work of obstructing the good works done by the Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann-led AAP Government. 7 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs are joining the BJP. The people of Punjab should remember these 7 names. The people of Punjab will never forget them.”
Earlier this month, the Aam Aadmi Party replaced Mr. Chadha with Mr. Mittal as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party accused Mr. Chadha of not signing the notice seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and not taking part in protests organised by the Opposition. Mr. Chadha hit back, asking if raising matters impacting the public was a crime.
The Anti-Defection law, which disqualifies legislators if they switch parties or defy party whip cannot be applied at least two-thirds of the legislators agree to the merger.
With seven Rajya Sabha members joining the BJP, it’s strength has been reduced to three in each House.
BJP on Raghav Chadha’s joining :
BJP said that the AAP is in “complete disarray” and has become a “den of corruption”, reacting to the seven of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members joining the BJP.
In a post on X, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, “No one believes in the corrupt AAP. The party, which started by claiming to be a party with a difference, has become a den of corruption.” BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said on X, “The Aam Aadmi Party is in complete disarray. The collapse is no longer speculation; it is unfolding in real time.”
