New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘guru’ Anna Hazare, has reacted to the exit of 7 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from the party. He said that Raghav Chadha and 6 other Rajya Sabha MPs would not have left the AAP fold had the party stayed on the “right path”. One must note that it was after the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement in 2011, that the AAP was born.
‘Everyone has right to hold an opinion’: Anna Hazare
Talking about the exit of AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, Hazare said, “Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy. They (Chadha and others) must have faced some trouble, which is why they left.”
Hazare’s statements came during a media interaction in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra. He said that it was “their fault. Had the party followed the right path, the MPs would not have left.”
He said that had the AAP gone in the right direction then they would have not left it. He further said that in a democracy every person has the right to view and decide where they want to stay and leave. He said that there must have been some reason for the party MPs to have quit AAP.
Hazare, a veteran social activist
Anna Hazare is a veteran social activist, known for his anti-corruption movement and work in rural development. It was during the anti-corruption movement of 2011-12 that Raghav Chadha and several others, including Arvind Kejriwal came together to form the AAP.
On Friday, 7 AAP MPs from Rajya Sabha, including Chadha quit the party. Chadha announced that 2/3rd MPs of the party had resigned and would be merging into the BJP. He said that they would be exercising the provisions of merger described in the Constitution.
Chadha’s exit from the party was imminent. He had been having clashes with his own party members for some time now, especially after his removal as the Deputy Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha. The party described it as a routine affair, but Chadha alleged that this was an attempt to suppress his voice in the House.