AAP seeks termination of Raghav Chadha, 6 'defector' MPs in plea to Rajya Sabha chairman

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Addressing a press conference, Sanjay Singh claimed the move by the seven Rajya Sabha MPs amounted to defection as it was against the provisions of the anti-defection law.

AAP submits plea to Rajya Sabha chairman, seeks termination of Raghav Chadha, 6 'defector' MPs

Just days after seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AAP senior leader Sanjay Singh has submitted a petition to the Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, seeking their disqualification. The seven MPs – including Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni and Swati Maliwal – quit AAP and announced their merger with the BJP.

Incidentally, six of the seven MPs who quit the party were Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab.

Addressing a press conference, Sanjay Singh claimed the move by the seven Rajya Sabha MPs amounted to defection as it was against the provisions of the anti-defection law. Sanjay Singh also said that the AAP would take legal action if needed.

In his petition, the AAP MP has requested the Rajya Sabha chairman to terminate the memberships of the seven MPs. In his plea, Sanjay Singh has claimed that the seven MPs were elected to Rajya Sabha on AAP tickets, but later decided to move to the BJP.

On Friday, April 24, seven MPs quit the AAP and merged their party with the BJP. Raghav Chadha, in a press conference, argued that: “According to the Constitution, two-thirds of the total MPs of a party can merge with another party.”

But Sanjay Singh pointed to the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and said, “It clearly does not permit such political defections.”

"While delays in such cases could lead to disappointment, the AAP would pursue the matter in court if required. These members were elected by the party but later chose to leave and join another outfit. This is a betrayal of the people of Punjab and also of the Constitution of India," Sanjay Singh said.

He alleged that such defections were a betrayal of the people's mandate, particularly in Punjab, and also against the spirit of the Constitution.

According to Singh, the AAP consulted Constitution experts, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal and a former Lok Sabha secretary general, on the matter, and it had been made clear that "the MPs were liable for disqualification under the law".

“These members were elected by the AAP and later chose to leave and join another party. This is a betrayal of the people of Punjab and also of the Constitution of India,” Sanjay Singh said.

In simple terms, the 10th Schedule says an elected representative will not lose their membership or seat under the anti-defection law if their party officially merges with another party.

(With agency inputs)

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