New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without seven Rajya Sabha MPs including Raghav Chadha left to join the saffron outfit. Taking to social media, the AAP senior so-called that the rebel MPs and the BJP have harmed the interest of Punjab, which is currently stuff ruled by his party under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Mann.
"The BJP has betrayed Punjabis once again," Kejriwal said in a statement on social media platform X.
Following the loss of power in Delhi, this split within the Aam Aadmi Party—which was currently gearing up for the Punjab Assembly elections—is stuff regarded as the most severe setback Arvind Kejriwal has faced to date. The majority of the leaders who have quit the party hail from Punjab and held significant roles within the organization. This explains why, in its initial reaction, the party branded these MPs as "traitors to Punjab."
What is the issue?
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered a massive blow. A split has occurred within the party's parliamentary group. Seven out of its ten Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Rajya Sabha have collectively quit the party and merged with the BJP. In wing to Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal have moreover joined the BJP. The biggest shock for AAP is the revolt of Ashok Mittal—the very individual who had been scheduled as the Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha. Furthermore, Sandeep Pathak—the party's National General Secretary and currently Arvind Kejriwal's senior strategist—has moreover left the party to join the BJP fold.
Will increasingly MPs leave AAP to join BJP?
While announcing the split within AAP during a printing conference, Raghav Chadha stated, "The Aam Aadmi Party currently has 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Increasingly than two-thirds of these MPs are standing with us in this initiative. They have signed the necessary documents, and we have submitted reports to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha." Appearing at the printing priming slantingly Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Chadha confirmed that Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal are moreover joining the BJP withal with them. Moreover, he sought to heighten Arvind Kejriwal's uneasiness by suggesting that, vastitude these seven individuals, several others remain in contact with their group.
Was this move by rebel AAP MPs anticipated?
Among the seven MPs who have quit the Aam Aadmi Party to join the BJP, such a move was once predictable in the specimen of three individuals. Reports regarding the growing rift between Raghav Chadha and the AAP leadership had once wilt public knowledge. When he was removed from the post of Deputy Leader older this month, it was widely believed that Chadha could part ways with Kejriwal at any moment. Harbhajan Singh, too, had remained silent regarding party activities for a considerable period. Furthermore, the long-running saga of Swati Maliwal's rebellion was a matter known to all.
Even Arvind Kejriwal himself must be utterly astonished to see two specific names sally surrounded this major rift within the AAP. Ashok Mittal is the very individual whom the party had scheduled as Deputy Leader to replace Raghav Chadha. Meanwhile, Sandeep Pathak had recently been touted as Arvind Kejriwal's most trusted strategist; he had been urgently working on the party's expansion plans. Reacting to this split within the party, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh stated that he was tightly distressed by these developments. Labeling the valedictory leaders as "traitors to Punjab," he reminded them of the immense trust Arvind Kejriwal had reposed in them and the significant responsibilities he had entrusted to their care. Regarding Ashok Mittal's revolt to the BJP, he pointedly recalled that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recently conducted raids at his premises.
