Raghav Chadha, who recently switched to the BJP from AAP along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs, alleged vendetta politics by his former party and said sources told him he would be the “next target”.
On Tuesday, Chadha, along with MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, met President Draupadi Murmu and expressed concerns over the actions of the RJD-led Punjab government towards some MPs. “The President told us about the way the Punjab government is using state machinery for dangerous vendetta politics against MPs who left the APC to join the BJP,” Chadha said in a media interaction.
“According to sources, I will be their next target. The Punjab government has hired agencies to threaten us on social media,” Chadha said.
His allegations against AAP came days after raids by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on a major textile unit linked to MP Rajinder Gupta in Dhaula, and reports of two FIRs against MP Sandeep Gupta in the state.
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The president assured us of protection.”
Chadha also said that in the meeting with President Murmu, the newly appointed BJP MPs were assured “protection” when they reported being targeted by the AAP. “The president has assured us of our protection and the protection of the Constitution,” Chadha said.
A similar assertion was made by MP Sandeep Pathak, who also spoke to the media after the meeting. As HT reported earlier, two cases under non-bailable sections have been filed against Pathak in Punjab. However, this was not officially confirmed by the police or the Rajya Sabha MP, and it was not clear what FIRs related to him.
Reacting to his decision to quit AAP, the Punjab MP said: “We have decided to leave AAP based on our rights given by the Constitution. AAP is trying to intimidate us by filing fake FIRs. We will fight a legal battle… We are working for the interest of the country.”
Sandeep Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Sahni were the seven MPs who switched to the BJP recently, reducing the number of AAP in the Rajya Sabha to three.
After days of joining hands with the BJP, two MLAs from the BJP – Sandeep Pathak and Rajinder Gupta – faced action in Punjab.
While the PPCB conducted raids on the Dhaula unit of the Trident Group, founded by Gupta, sources said two FIRs were lodged against Sandeep Pathak, who was earlier credited with guiding the AAP to a decisive victory over the Congress in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Bhagwant Mann’s team also met the President
AAP’s rebel MPs are not the only ones who have a scheduled meeting with the President. A team led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is also meeting President Murmu to raise objection to switching Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP.
As reported earlier by HT, the Punjab lawmakers accompanying Mann will stand outside and wait while he presents the “concerns” of the people of the state regarding the switch.
Mann also intends to hand over a copy of the confidence motion passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on May 1 in the wake of speculation over the stability of his government sparked by these defections.
