image source, YEARS
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Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has announced to leave the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and join BJP.
Raghav Chadha, in a press conference with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal on Friday, said, “We have decided that we, two-thirds of the Aam Aadmi Party members in the Rajya Sabha, are joining the BJP as per the provisions of the Constitution.”
Criticizing BJP, Aam Aadmi Party termed it ‘Operation Lotus’.
Whereas Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, without taking the name of Raghav Chadha, wrote on Twitter regarding the latest developments, “BJP has again messed with Punjabis.”
Earlier this month, Aam Aadmi Party had given the responsibility of deputy leader of the party in Rajya Sabha to Ashok Kumar Mittal in place of Raghav Chadha. Then Raghav Chadha had said that he has been raising issues of public interest and asked what loss this would have caused to the Aam Aadmi Party.
News agency PTI released a video on Friday evening in which BJP President Nitin Nabin is seen feeding laddus to Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak at the BJP headquarters.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh wrote in a late evening post on
What did Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak say?
Raghav Chadha said, “The Aam Aadmi Party, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth, has now completely deviated from its principles, values and basic morals. Now this party is not working for the country or national interest, but is working for personal interest.”
He said, “Many of you have been saying this to me over the years, and I too have personally felt that I am the right man, but in the wrong party. I repeat, ‘I am the right man, but in the wrong party.’ Therefore, today I announce that I am separating myself from the Aam Aadmi Party and going to the people.”
Responding to the questions of journalists, Raghav Chadha said, “There are 10 Aam Aadmi Party MPs in the Rajya Sabha. More than two-thirds of them are with us. They have signed and this morning we handed over the signed letters and documents to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Three of them are present here in front of you. Apart from us, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahni and Swati Maliwal are included.”
MP Sandeep Pathak, who attended the press conference with Raghav Chadha, said, “I never thought in my life that such a situation would come but it happened. I was a part of this party for the last 10 years. Today I am parting ways with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).”
“When it came to joining any party, I joined AAP because it talked about new politics and politics of work. In the last 10 years, I worked hard and honestly. Whatever political decisions I took, I always took them keeping the interest of the party at the top. Today I am joining the Bharatiya Janata Party and resigning from all my posts in AAP.”
Aam Aadmi Party told ‘Operation Lotus’
image source, AAM Admi Party/X
Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha leader and national media in-charge Sanjay Singh held a press conference at 4 pm on Friday and termed the joining of 7 party MPs including Raghav Chadha as ‘Operation Lotus’.
Sanjay Singh said, “Aam Aadmi Party made Raghav Chaddha MLA, MP. He gave everything but he betrayed the party. The people of Punjab will never forgive him.”
He said, “AAP and the public picked up Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahni, Sandeep Pathak, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh from the ground and brought them to Parliament. These seven have stabbed the people of Punjab in the back, betrayed them. They have betrayed the government of Bhagwant Mann.”
He said, “Bhagwant Mann government is doing good work, hence Operation Lotus is being played, ED-CBI is being used. Two-four days ago, ED raided Ashok Mittal’s house, showed fear and broke it.”
He stressed, “This is Operation Lotus, which has been launched under the leadership of Amit Shah, Narendra Modi to deceive the people of Punjab.”
What did Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann say
image source, YEARS
After Raghav Chadha announced that two-thirds of the MPs would merge with BJP, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held a press conference on Friday evening.
He said, “The party is big, the organization is big, the people are not big. These 6-7 people who have gone are not Punjab. They are traitors. They are traitors to Punjabis. They got the throne while sitting, they did not have to ask for votes. Neither did they have to fold hands, nor did they have to go to the streets and talk about people’s issues. They just got ready-made seats, let’s just go there in the Rajya Sabha and start doing tricks.”
“There is no point in his being there either, because he is a BJP. He leaves after applying colours. Captain Saheb himself says that no one asks him. I have never heard the name of Manpreet Badal. Bittu has a little work, they have made him a minister. The day they come to know that his work does not work in Punjab, that day they will throw him out too.”
Was once a trusted strategist of Kejriwal
image source, Kabir Jhangiani/NurPhoto via Getty Images
In the year 2013, when Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption movement was in its last phase, Raghav Chadha met Arvind Kejriwal.
Raghav Chadha, a chartered accountant by profession, had returned to India at that time after studying at the London School of Economics.
According to a report in Daily O, Raghav Chadha’s first assignment in the party was to assist advocate Rahul Mehra, who prepared the draft of the Delhi Janlokpal Bill. This responsibility was handed over to him by Arvind Kejriwal.
Raghav Chadha became the youngest spokesperson of the party and within a short time Raghav Chadha had become the face of Aam Aadmi Party on television.
According to the information given on the website of Aam Aadmi Party, Raghav was a member of the team that made the manifesto of Aam Aadmi Party in the year 2013. For some time he was also made the treasurer of the party.
Raghav Chadha, who joined Arvind Kejriwal’s team as a volunteer a decade ago, is now counted among his most trusted strategists.
In the year 2019, Raghav Chadha contested the parliamentary seat of South Delhi, but was unsuccessful. After this, he won from Rajendra Nagar seat of Delhi in the 2020 assembly elections.
In March 2022, Raghav Chadha and four others were nominated by Aam Aadmi Party for Rajya Sabha from Punjab. At that time Raghav Chadha was 33 years old and became the youngest MP.
It is believed that Raghav Chadha played an important role in the big victory of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab in the year 2022. Seeing the success of Punjab, the party also entrusted him with the responsibility of Gujarat Assembly elections in the end of 2022 and made him co-in-charge.
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
