Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Monday wrote to the Rajya Sabha secretariat, questioning the party’s change of position on the Senate records with his notice as leader of the chamber. Raghav Chadha and six others have already been categorized as BJP members in the register, less than a week after they changed their stand.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary-General of the Organization In Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Singh sought immediate clarification on the alleged unauthorized change.
He pointed out that according to records, it appears that the current status of the party and its president has changed without his knowledge. “On what date and on what basis was the position of the Aam Aadmi Party changed in the records and publications of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat?” Singh wrote.
Chadha and others claimed that they could legally “merge” into the BJP because they had the required two-thirds strength of the SP members of the AAP for such a move. However, AAP has sought to raise legal questions and may approach court.
In his letter, Sanjay Singh also claimed that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat did not communicate with him in his capacity as floor chief.
“It may be pertinent to point out that any arbitrary or unjustified change in the party’s position, without following due process, will have serious consequences on the rights of the party and its members and raise serious questions about procedural irregularities. Therefore, you are requested to urgently intervene and address the above queries at the earliest,” Singh said.
He also called for an investigation into these alleged quarrels over party records.
The big AAP key
The development of the party’s changing stance comes after the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha increased to 113 as Speaker C P Radhakrishnan approved the incorporation of former AAP deputy leader in the House, Raghav Chadha, and six other MPs who have left the party.
Six of the seven representatives were elected from Punjab, while one of them was from Delhi. This has been a major setback for the party, which is currently in power in Punjab and ruled Delhi until just over a year ago, with its overall strength in the Rajya Sabha now down to 3 from the previous 10. The displacement of 70 percent of its members has caused problems for the association in terms of perception and stability.
The trio of MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, all elected by MLAs in Punjab, broke away from the AAP on Friday and subsequently joined the BJP in the presence of the saffron party leadership.
Four others, including Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahni from Punjab; Swati Maliwal from Delhi also switched to the BJP.
