Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticized the Rajya Sabha Chairman on Sunday for rejecting a request to initiate proceedings under the anti-defection law against seven MPs who were accused of splitting from their party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Earlier, Delhi Leader of Opposition and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi described the Rajya Sabha Secretariat’s notification recognizing the merger of the seven MPs into the BJP as “unlawful and unconstitutional.”
At a press conference, Atishi explained that the Constitution requires two-thirds support of the legislative party for a political party merger to be valid. She also noted that anti-defection laws do not permit two-thirds of MPs or MLAs of a party to merge with another party.
“The merger notification by Rajya Sabha Secretariat is unlawful and unconstitutional. Supreme Court’s constitution bench has passed clear orders and it is clearly written in the Constitution, and AAP MP Sanjay Singh had also informed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat about the same – that as per the Constitution, when the original political party merges, for that merger two-thirds legislative party is also required. But under anti-defection laws, there is no provision in this country that two-thirds MPs or MLAs can merge with another party,” Atishi said.
The AAP MLA further accused the BJP of undermining the Constitution, warning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of a worse fate for increasing attacks on the opposition.
“But how does it matter to the BJP? BJP wants to finish off the Constitution and democracy of this country by hook or by crook…I would like to tell the BJP and PM Narendra Modi that history says that the greater the atrocities you unleash, the worse the fate you will meet. It is clear that the time for the end of BJP and Modi ji’s politics is near. So, their atrocities have increased. But in the history of this world, whenever atrocities have increased, there has come along someone to end those atrocities,” she added.
The statements come after seven MPs from the AAP merged with the BJP in the Rajya Sabha. The trio of MPs—Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal—left the AAP on Friday and then joined the BJP in the presence of party leadership. Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Swati Maliwal also switched to the BJP.
With Chairman CP Radhakrishnan approving the merger of these seven MPs, the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha rose to 113. The AAP suffered a significant setback after losing two-thirds of its MPs and is now left with just three members in the Upper House of Parliament.
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