New Delhi:
The AAP has been split in Rajya Sabha. Seven out of its 10 members have exited the party to merge with the BJP, party MP Raghav Chadha announced today. The party founded by Arvind Kejriwal, former chief minister of Delhi, now has just three members in the Upper House. Live Updates
The MPs Who Quit AAP
Chadha, 37, said he has the support of more than two-thirds of the AAP’s strength in Rajya Sabha. The number is critical, since that’s exactly the number of lawmakers must merge with another party to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
During a press conference this afternoon, Chadha listed the names of six other MPs who have agreed to move to the BJP along with him: Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak.
Read: Raghav Chadha’s BJP Shocker For Arvind Kejriwal. 6 Other MPs To Switch Too
Chadha, who had been with the AAP since its inception over a decade ago, justified the shift as necessary since “the AAP now is corrupt and compromised.” “The AAP is not the old party. I don’t want to engage in the wrongdoings of AAP,” he said.
The 3 MPs Who Remain
After the big-ticket exits, the three Rajya Sabha MPs who remain in AAP are Balbir Singh Seechewal, Sanjay Singh, and ND Gupta.
Singh, also a party spokesperson, led the charge of responding to the media after Chadha’s press conference. Accusing Chadha of betrayal, Singh addressed the breaking of his party in the strongest words. He said that the AAP made Chadha an MLA and then an MP, but he still ended up in the BJP’s lap.
“The BJP has done the work of obstructing the good works done by the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government. Seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs are joining the BJP. The people of Punjab should remember these seven names. The people of Punjab will never forget them,” Singh said.
Read: Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh: Raghav Chadha Names 7 AAP MPs Joining BJP
Kejriwal, the party chief, made a one-line post: “The BJP has once again betrayed the Punjabis.”
Merger Follows A Rift
Chadha’s merger with the BJP follows a massive controversy earlier this month after the AAP removed him as its deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, a move that made their apparent rift public. The AAP had also requested the Rajya Sabha Chairman that Chadha should not be allotted time from the party’s quota to speak in the House.
The young leader confronted the move in video messages, calling it a “scripted campaign” and “coordinated action” against him.
Read: Arvind Kejriwal On Raghav Chadha’s Move: “BJP Has Again Betrayed Punjab”
The AAP had then accused Chadha of not joining the opposition during parliament walkouts, refusal to sign the impeachment motion against the chief election commissioner, and of raising only trivial issues since he had become “scared”.
The allegations had zero truth, he had responded. “Every lie will be exposed, and every question will be answered. For I am wounded and therefore, I am lethal,” he had said in one of his videos.