CPI’s D Raja termed the defection of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP ‘serious’, urging a review. Other opposition leaders also reacted, while defecting MP Raghav Chadha alleged that the AAP has deviated from its core principles.
Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja on Saturday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) must seriously review the reasons behind the departure of its Rajya Sabha MPs after two-thirds of its members in the Upper House decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking to ANI, Raja termed the situation serious and said it could have wider political implications, particularly in Punjab, where the AAP government is in power. “AAP should seriously consider why such people were elected and how such people are leaving like this. It is for AAP to do some serious analysis and review…it is a serious matter…It will have an impact in Punjab as the AAP government is in Punjab…What will happen to democracy if such practices continue?” he said.
SP, Congress Allege Misuse of Power, Lack of Ideology
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Rajeev Kumar Rai alleged that the BJP resorts to breaking opposition parties where it is unable to secure electoral victories. “Wherever the BJP is unable to win, it breaks the party…They have the power, money and authority to break whoever they want, but remember that it also backfires,” Rai said.
On the other hand, while speaking to ANI, Congress MP Kishori Lal Sharma said such defections reflect the absence of ideological commitment within political parties. “This is what happens when a party has no ideology. Just look at their background — how many have already walked away,” Sharma said.
Defecting MPs Formalise Split
These remarks come after the trio of MPs–Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal–parted ways with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday and subsequently joined the BJP in the presence of party leadership. Addressing a presser in the national capital, Chadha informed that Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal have also switched to the BJP.
Raghav Chadha said that they have informed the Chairman of the House, in accordance with the rules, of leaving the party. He formalised a split that had been building for weeks, announcing that two-thirds of the party’s Upper House members would merge with the BJP.
‘AAP Deviated from Core Principles’: Raghav Chadha
Meanwhile, Raghav Chadha, on Saturday, after his exit from AAP, alleged that the party has deviated from its core principles and no longer provides space for honest workers. “Today, every true patriot who nurtured the Aam Aadmi Party with their blood and sweat and joined it with great expectations has either left the Aam Aadmi Party or is leaving it. Every honest, hardworking person feels that there is no longer room for work in the Aam Aadmi Party. And the Aam Aadmi Party is now walking on a wrong path that no one wants to be associated with. Consequently, one by one, many leaders have left the Aam Aadmi Party,” Chadha said. (ANI)
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