rumours-misinformation-aap-on-punjab-mlas-chadha-link

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday moved Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan seeking disqualification of seven MPs who quit the party and merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party, sharpening a legal and political confrontation over the high-profile defections.

 

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the party had submitted a petition invoking the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which governs anti-defection provisions. He urged the Chairman to take up the matter urgently. “After consulting experts, I have sent a petition to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Vice President of India, requesting that the membership of these seven members be terminated as per the Tenth Schedule. I have also requested that the matter be heard at the earliest and a just decision be given,” Singh said.

 

The petition follows the exit of seven Rajya Sabha MPs-Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney, who announced their merger with the BJP, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s functioning and direction under Arvind Kejriwal.

 

Singh said the party had consulted constitutional experts, including Kapil Sibal and former Lok Sabha Secretary-General PDT Achary, who opined that the MPs were liable for disqualification. He maintained that the move amounted to defection and did not qualify for protection under the merger clause of the anti-defection law.

Rumours, misinformation: AAP on Punjab MLAs, Chadha link

The AAP leader also rejected claims that party MLAs in Punjab were in touch with the defectors, calling such reports “misinformation and rumours” aimed at destabilising the party. “The public sentiment is against them for betraying AAP and Punjab,” he said, adding that protests were being held across the state against the departing MPs.

 

The defecting MPs, however, have defended their decision, pointing to constitutional provisions that allow a merger if at least two-thirds of a party’s legislators agree to join another party. With AAP having 10 members in the Rajya Sabha prior to the exits, they have argued that the threshold condition has been met.

 

Singh contested this interpretation, asserting that the matter would be adjudicated under the Tenth Schedule. “Would anyone wish to join him and risk their own membership being cancelled? Everyone understands this in politics,” he said, signalling confidence that the defectors could face disqualification.

 

The row has escalated into a broader political battle between the AAP and BJP, with both sides hardening their positions. The legal outcome will hinge on whether the Chairman accepts the merger claim or rules the move as defection, a determination that could have wider implications for party discipline and parliamentary alignments.

Also read: Defected MPs intensify attack on AAP as crisis spills into Punjab