NEW DELHI: In a major political development, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday quit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move comes days after an open rift with the AAP leadership.Announcing his decision at a press conference, Chadha said the party had strayed from its founding principles. “The Aam Aadmi Party, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth, has now completely deviated from its principles, values, and core morals. The party is no longer working for the country or in the national interest, but for personal gain.”He added that his differences with the party had been building over time. “Many of you have been telling me this for the past few years, and I too have personally felt that I am the right man in the wrong party. I repeat, ‘I am the right man in the wrong party.’ Therefore, today I announce that I am distancing myself from the Aam Aadmi Party and going to the people.”In a post on X, he wrote: “Today, exercising the provisions of the Constitution of India, more than two-thirds of the AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha have merged with the BJP. Seven MPs have signed the document, which was submitted to the Hon’ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. I, along with two other MPs, personally handed over the signed documents.”Here are the top developments so far:
Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal meet BJP leadership
After the press conference, Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal met Nitin Nabin, National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, at the party headquarters.The meeting comes after more than two-thirds of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs announced their decision to merge with the BJP. Raghav Chadha and other ex-AAP MP’s were formally inducted into the party.
7 MPs exit AAP
Addressing the press conference, Chadha said that along with him six other fellow Rajya Sabha MPs has quit the party and joined BJP.Read here for live updates These include: Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta ,Vikram Sahni, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal.Chaddha said that more than two-thirds of the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs have decided to merge with the BJP under constitutional provisions. “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,” he said.
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He added that the required documents have already been submitted. “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,” Chadha said.Chadha accused the AAP leadership of deviating from its anti-corruption roots. “With great sadness, pain, and shame, I say that the party, which was formed with a pledge to end corruption, is now deeply trapped in the hands of corrupt and compromised individuals. That is why every patriotic person who joined the Aam Aadmi Party to serve the nation has either already left or is leaving the party one by one,” he said.
Reason for exit
Explaining his decision, Chadha said he chose to leave rather than remain associated with actions he disagreed with. “I am telling you the real reason as to why I distanced myself from party activities. I did not want to be a part of their sins. I was not eligible for their friendship because I was not a part of their crime. We had just two options — either quit politics and give up our public work in the last 15-16 years or we do positive politics with our energy and experience,” he said.Earlier, he was removed from Rajya Sabha deputy leader position by AAP and charged by party leaders of engaging in “soft PR” and shying away from speaking against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Senior party leaders alleged that Chadha had been reluctant to raise issues aligned with the party’s stand. They pointed to his refusal to sign the notice seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and his failure to join Opposition walkouts on key issues in the House.Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh, Delhi leader Atishi and state unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj were among those who accused him of deviating from the party line.After this episode, he had posted a series of video message explaining his stance and dismissed the charges against him as “baseless and part of a larger, coordinated attempt to discredit him.”Chadha made it clear that he had initially chosen restraint but felt compeled to respond as repeated accusations risked being accepted as truth. He also released multiple videos under the title “Three Allegations. Zero Truth”, directly countering claims made by party leaders.In a video message, Chadha framed the entire episode as an attempt to suppress his voice rather than address differences.“Meri Khamoshi Ko Meri Haar Mat Samajh Lena, Main wo Dariya Hun Jo Waqt Aane Par Sailab Banta hai,” he said, warning that his silence should not be mistaken for defeat.He also revealed that the party had informed the Rajya Sabha secretariat not to allocate him speaking time, a move he suggested was aimed at marginalising him within Parliament.“Did I commit any crime? AAP has informed Parliament that I should not be given a chance to speak,” he said.
Praise for BJP leadership
He also praised the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah while explaining his decision to join the BJP.“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has taken several strong decisions that earlier leaders were perhaps hesitant to take… The people have endorsed this leadership not once, not twice, but three times,” he said.Earlier, BJP had came out in support of Chadha, using the episode to criticise AAP’s internal functioning. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that a senior MP being forced to use social media to voice concerns indicated a breakdown of dialogue within the party.“When a senior MP is forced to use social media to express his views within his own party, it reflects a deeply troubling internal condition,” he said.Virendra Sachdeva welcoming the announcement said, “This was natural. Some of his MPs are also coming, so we welcome them. 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.”
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‘BJP has again betrayed Punjab’: AAP leaders reacts to Chadha and other MP’s exit
AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal reacting to the development in a post on X, wrote, “BJP has again betrayed Punjab.”The rift between Kejriwal and Chadha is not old. The party has alleged that Chadha made no statements following the discharge of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the liquor excise policy-linked money laundering case.He was also absent from the party office when Kejriwal later arrived to address a press conference.During Kejriwal’s arrest in connection with the liquor policy case ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chadha refrained from making any remarks, claiming he was recovering from eye surgery in the UK.AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that this was a targeted attempt to “obstruct the good work of the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab”.“I want to tell Modi ji and Amit Shah that this dirty game you have played with the Aam Aadmi Party and with the people of Punjab, and the attempts you have made to stop the Bhagwant Mann government and obstruct its work, for this betrayal and deceit, the people of Punjab will never forgive you,” he said.
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