Days after being jolted by the sudden exit of its 7 Rajya Sabha MPs, the Aam Aadmi Party has petitioned the Upper House’s chairman, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, to terminate all the members who quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, said AAP leader and MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday. Singh claimed that AAP had consulted constitutional experts, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal, and former Lok Sabha Secretary-General PDT Achary, who were of the opinion that the MPs were “liable for disqualification under the law”.
AAP was hit by a political crisis on Friday when 7 Rajya Sabha MPs announced they were leaving the party and, with two-thirds of the members, would split and merge with the BJP. The move triggered a legal debate over the validity of the move and its implications under anti-defection rules. The AAP petition includes the names of Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal, and Vikramjit Sahney.
Chadha referred to “disappointment, disengagement, and disgust” within the party as reasons, while Sahney cited governance concerns in Punjab, including debt stress, agrarian issues, drug abuse, and lack of access to leadership.
Party insiders say the leadership was aware of the likely defections and had made last-minute attempts to prevent some MPs from leaving.
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Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann seeks time from President Droupadi Murmu
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu along with party MLAs to press for a “recall” of the MPs, even though there is no provision for a recall mechanism in the Constitution.
Earlier, Sanjay Singh had cited the Tenth Schedule and said defections of this nature are not legally valid and should lead to disqualification proceedings.
While AAP leaders argue that the split is unconstitutional, several experts note that the anti-defection law permits a merger if supported by two-thirds of a legislature party.
Singh also dismissed reports that Punjab MLAs are in contact with Raghav Chadha, and termed it “false propaganda” aimed at creating confusion.
He said that such narratives were being circulated by the BJP and others. He also claimed that the 7 MPs were facing public backlash in Punjab and people were protesting against them.
