Friday was like a political earthquake for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). 7 out of 10 Rajya Sabha MPs of the party, including Raghav Chadha, have resigned together and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Apart from Raghav Chadha, the rebel MPs include big names like Sandeep Pathak and Swati Maliwal.
According to sources, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal was aware of the displeasure of these MPs. He had called all these rebel leaders for discussion at his residence on Friday evening. Kejriwal had assured the MPs that if they are not happy in the party for any reason, they should resign now and the party promises to give them tickets again in the next term. However, this meeting never took place as the MPs announced their resignations and joining the BJP even before the meeting.
Which MPs left AAP?
The seven MPs who left the party include Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahni and Swati Maliwal. Raghav Chadha alleged during the press conference that the Aam Aadmi Party has completely deviated from its basic principles and values. He said, “The party which we nurtured with our blood and sweat has now forgotten its own ideals.”
How was the strategy of rebellion made?
It is being told that the MPs had made up their mind to leave the party on Thursday morning itself. The first spark of rebellion erupted when Raghav Chadha was removed from the post of Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha and this responsibility was given to Ashok Mittal. After this Chadha contacted other angry MPs and decided to take a joint step. Citing constitutional rules, Raghav Chadha said that this merger is completely legal since two-thirds of the MPs are with it and its documents have been handed over to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
Sanjay Singh accused of ‘Operation Lotus’
At the BJP headquarters, party president Nitin Nabin welcomed all the MPs with traditional sweets. On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party has termed it as ‘Operation Lotus’ of BJP. AAP leaders allege that the BJP is conspiring to stop the good work of their government in Punjab and is trading MPs.
Existential crisis for AAP?
This crisis is even bigger for the Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power in Punjab and Delhi, because leaders like Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak were considered the main pillars of the party’s strategy and organization. This is the most difficult time for AAP in its 14-year journey, where it is facing rebellion from its own old comrades.
Follow the LALLURAM.COM MP channel on WhatsApp
Comments are closed.