Aam Aadmi Party MPs including Raghav Chadha join BJP

NEW DELHI: Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders including Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, have left the party and joined the BJP. The others are Rajya Sabha members Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak. This has come as a big blow for the AAP. The leaders informed this at the press meet convened.

The three leaders said that two-thirds of the party's MPs are with them. Aam Aadmi Party has a total of ten members in the Rajya Sabha. Raghav Chadha said that Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahni will also join the BJP soon.

Some MPs have been staying away from the party for quite some time. AAP had last month removed Raghav Chadha as the leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha. Aam Aadmi Party had raised strong allegations that Raghav Chadha was leaving the party and joining the BJP and working for them.

Raghav Chadha was one of the founding leaders of the party along with Arvind Kejriwal. Sandeep Pathak is the general secretary in charge of the party's organization. After Kejriwal, he was the one who controlled all the affairs of the party.

Chadha said that he gave 15 years of his life to Aam Aadmi Party. However, Raghav Chadha said the party is no longer working for the country. Raghav said that he is the right person in the wrong party and that he is moving closer to the people by leaving the party. Raghav said the party has deviated from the anti-corruption stance that helped it gain power in Delhi.

Following the resignation of the leaders, AAP leader Sanjay Singh held a press meet to respond. Sanjay Singh said the BJP under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has launched 'Operation Lotus' and that it is a cheap political tactic.