NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Ashok Kumar Mittal and Sandeep Pathak on Friday announced their exit from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), marking a major setback for Arvind Kejriwal’s party, and later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a press conference alongside Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Raghav Chadha said, “We have decided that we, the two-thirds members belonging to the AAP in the Rajya Sabha, will exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP.”
Raghav Chadha, Ashok Kumar Mittal and Sandeep Pathak have been serving as Rajya Sabha MPs from the AAP since 2022.
Chadha said the party he once helped build had moved away from its original values and 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,” he said.
He added that the party was no longer working in the national interest. “I am the right man in the wrong party,” Chadha said, announcing his decision to distance himself from AAP.
He further stated that two-thirds of AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha would merge with the BJP under constitutional provisions.
Chadha also claimed that other leaders, including Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney, had also left AAP and joined the BJP.
“There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, and more than two-thirds of them are with us in this. They have signed the documents, which were submitted this morning to the Rajya Sabha Chairman,” he said.
Earlier this month, Chadha had shared a video on Instagram titled “Voice Raised Price Paid”, highlighting his parliamentary interventions amid internal differences with the party. “With due respect, to those who are questioning my parliamentary performance, I will let my work do the talking,” he had said.
On April 2, the AAP had removed Chadha as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, accusing him of avoiding strong criticism of the Centre and engaging in “soft PR”.
Chadha, however, rejected the allegations, saying he entered Parliament to raise public issues and not to create disruption. Following his removal, he has continued to post messages on social media indicating his disagreement with the party’s decision. (Agency)
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