Aam Aadmi Party’s action against 7 rebel Rajya Sabha MPs, application sent to Chairman to cancel membership

Tezzbuzz Desk – A major development has come to light in the politics of Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party has adopted a tough stance against its seven Rajya Sabha MPs. The party has sent a formal complaint to Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan demanding cancellation of membership of these MPs.

All these seven MPs had recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, after which AAP started action terming it as defection.

Sanjay Singh raised questions

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the party has consulted constitutional experts on the issue. This includes senior lawyer Kapil Sibal and former Secretary General of Lok Sabha P. D. T. Acharya. According to him, these MPs can be disqualified under the law.

Sanjay Singh alleged that under the pressure of agencies, the MPs were forced to join another party, which is against democracy and the Constitution. He said that such defection cannot be recognized under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

What does the law say?

The legal position in this entire matter is not completely clear. AAP claims that this defection is unconstitutional and the MPs should be disqualified. At the same time, some experts believe that if two-thirds of the members of a legislative party change parties together, then it can be considered as a ‘merger’, which is valid under the anti-defection law.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also sought time to meet President Draupadi Murmu regarding this issue. However, there is no provision in the Indian Constitution for ‘recall’ of MPs or MLAs, making this option limited.