Blow to AAP as 7 RS MPs join BJP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a jolt on Friday as seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, quit the party, with Chadha saying all of them had merged with the BJP, asserting that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni and Swati Maliwal were the other four parliamentarians in the group of seven. Their move came as a surprise to many, as the exits were disclosed at a hurriedly called press conference at Constitution Club in Delhi, after which AAP chief Kejriwal alleged that BJP had betrayed the people of Punjab while state chief minister Bhagwant Mann termed the seven MPs “gaddar” (traitors). BJP extended a warm welcome to the MPs as party president Nitin Nabin offered them traditional sweets.
“Welcomed Raghav Chadha Ji, Sandeep Pathak Ji, and Ashok Mittal Ji to the BJP family at the Party HQ today. Also, best wishes to Harbhajan Singh Ji, Swati Maliwal Ji, Vikram Sahney Ji, and Rajinder Gupta ji to work under the dynamic leadership of PM Narendra Modi towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047,” Nabin said in a post on X shortly thereafter.
“The AAP, that I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth, has completely strayed from its principles, values and core morals,” he said.
“They have already signed, and this morning we submitted all the required documentation, including signed letters and other formal paperwork, to the chairman of Rajya Sabha,” Chadha said while addressing the media.
AAP moves for disqualification
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said he would write to the Chairman of Rajya Sabha seeking their disqualification.
In his statement, Singh argued that their move to join another party amounts to voluntarily relinquishing membership of their original party under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India. AAP leaders accused the saffron party of launching “Operation Lotus” to break away party MPs and of conspiring to stop the Mann government’s good work in Punjab.
Of the seven MPs, six come from Punjab, including Chadha, Pathak, Mittal, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahni, and Harbhajan Singh, while Swati Maliwal is from Delhi.
The three Rajya Sabha MPs who still remain with the party are Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta and Balbir Singh Seechewal.