Two-thirds of members belonging to AAP in the Rajya Sabha are merging with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), exercising the provisions of the Constitution of India, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha said on Friday.
The decision, a move to ensure he retains his Rajya Sabha membership, comes days after he was removed from the post of deputy leader of the Rajya Sabha over allegations of not raising major issues against the government and conducting “soft PR” instead.
Raghav Chadha made the announcement at a press conference about two other MPs who he said were part of the merger – Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak. Interestingly, it was Ashok Mittal who was chosen by AAP as Raghav Chadha’s replacement for the post of deputy leader of the Rajya Sabha.
The math behind this step
There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, and according to Raghav Chadha, more than two-thirds of them are part of the resolution – the number required for MPs to retain their membership in the Upper House.
“They signed and this morning we submitted the signed letter and documents to the Rajya Sabha Speaker,” Chadha said, adding that the other four MPs who approved the move are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahni and Swati Maliwal.
“The AAP, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat and gave 15 years of my youth to, has deviated from its basic principles, values and morals. Now this party is not working for the benefit of the nation but for its own interests… For the past few years, I have felt that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, we announce that I am distancing myself from the AAP and moving closer to the public,” Chadha said, addressing the press conference along with Sandeep Pathak. Ashok Mittal
