Raghav Chadha joins BJP: Not only Raghav Chadha, these 7 AAP MPs are joining BJP: A political earthquake for AAP | Delhi News
NEW DELHI: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday announced that he has quit the Aam Aadmi Party. Addressing a press conference along with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Chadha said a group of AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha had decided to move away from the party and align with the BJP. “We have decided that we, the 2/3rd members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha, exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP.” Explaining the decision, Chadha praised the central government and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has taken several strong decisions that earlier leaders were perhaps hesitant to take, whether it is uprooting terrorism or bringing India among the top global economies.”“The people have endorsed this leadership not once, not twice, but three times. We all feel fortunate to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and with the determination of home minister Amit Shah, and we will continue to work tirelessly for the nation. To those who felt disappointed that, as a Member of Parliament, I might not be able to raise the issues of ordinary citizens because my own party had silenced my voice, I want to assure them not to worry. I will continue to raise all your issues with the same commitment, enthusiasm, and energy,” he added. He further said the MPs were exercising a constitutional provision to merge with the BJP. “We, two-thirds of the Members of Parliament belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party in the Rajya Sabha, will exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).” Chadha also made wider allegations about internal developments within AAP, claiming the party had drifted from its founding ideals. “Before entering politics, I was a practising Chartered Accountant (CA). Along with me on this platform were people from different fields, some were scientists, others were educationists. Today, those leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) include a world-class cricketer, a Padma Shri awardee, and social activists. All these people gave up everything and came together with the resolve to build a corruption-free India and established this party. I was a founding member of this party, and perhaps very few people know it better than I do. Together, with full commitment and dedication, we built the party in Delhi, established it in Punjab, and tried to expand it to other states. But today, with great sadness, pain, and shame, I say that the party, which was formed with a pledge to end corruption, is now deeply trapped in the hands of corrupt and compromised individuals. That is why every patriotic person who joined the Aam Aadmi Party to serve the nation has either already left or is leaving the party one by one.” Referring to the numbers in the Upper House, he said, “There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, more than 2/3rd of them are with us in this. They have signed and this morning we submitted the signed letter and documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman. 3 of them are here before you. Besides us, there are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal,” said Chadha. Chadha further said, “I am telling you the real reason as to why I distanced myself from party activities. I did not want to be a part of their crimes. I was not eligible for their friendship because I was not a part of their crime. We had just two options – either quit politics and give up our public work in the last 15-16 years or we do positive politics with our energy and experience. So, we have decided that we, the 2/3rd members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha, exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP.“
