Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha on Saturday said he and six other Rajya Sabha MPs were “forced to leave” the party, alleging it had deviated from its founding principles and was now on the “wrong path”.
Chadha, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after quitting AAP, said the decision was not driven by fear but by disillusionment with the party’s direction under Arvind Kejriwal.
“We were forced to leave. Every person who nurtured the Aam Aadmi Party with their blood and sweat, and was associated with the party with a lot of hopes, has either left the party or is in the process of leaving it,” Chadha told reporters.
“Every hardworking person believes that there is no scope in the party,” he added.
The development marks a major blow to AAP, with seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikram Sahney, quitting the party in a dramatic split.
Also read: Defections expose deep fault lines within AAP
Chadha alleged that the party had fallen into “corrupt and compromised hands” and that its current trajectory had alienated dedicated workers.
He also referred to the “Sheeshmahal” controversy in Delhi, claiming it had contributed to Kejriwal’s declining public image and the party’s electoral setbacks.
“I wonder how the few remaining good workers of the Aam Aadmi Party will respond when people in the streets and localities ask them questions about Sheesh Mahal. The Aam Aadmi Party should introspect and think about it,” he said.
Once considered a key face of AAP, Chadha had been closely associated with Kejriwal since the party’s early days and rose rapidly within its ranks, serving as national spokesperson and later as a Rajya Sabha MP.
However, tensions between Chadha and the party had surfaced in recent weeks, with his absence from key events and internal disagreements becoming increasingly visible.
The departure of Chadha and six other MPs is expected to weaken AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha while bolstering the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s numbers in the Upper House.
The move has also raised questions about AAP’s organisational cohesion and its future as a national political force.
Follow us
