Raghav Chadha and others should be disqualified; Aam Aadmi Party writes to Rajya Sabha Chairman

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party has written to the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking the disqualification of three MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who have joined the BJP. The party stated that all three MPs have become disqualified as they joined another party without resigning from their positions. However, Raghav Chadha claimed that out of the total 10 MPs, seven, including himself, have left the party and are now aligned with the BJP. He argued that since more than two-thirds of the MPs have switched sides, they will not face disqualification under anti-defection rules.

Along with Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak have formally joined the BJP after reaching its headquarters. Chadha further claimed that Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahney are also likely to join the party.

In recent weeks, some MPs had been distancing themselves from the party. Last month, the Aam Aadmi Party removed Raghav Chadha from the post of deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party had also accused him of working for the BJP and planning to leave.

Raghav Chadha was one of the founding leaders of the party along with Arvind Kejriwal. Sandeep Pathak, the party’s general secretary in charge of organisation, was considered a key figure after Kejriwal. Chadha said he had devoted 15 years of his life to the party but claimed that it has now moved away from its core values of honesty. He added that he felt like “a right person in the wrong party” and said that by leaving, he is moving closer to the people. Chadha also alleged that the party has deviated from its anti-corruption principles that helped it come to power in Delhi.