Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday formally submitted a petition to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan, seeking the disqualification of seven party MPs who recently defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Singh addressed a press conference where he claimed that the exit of these members constitutes a clear violation of the anti-defection law.
The move comes after the AAP suffered a major political blow on Friday when MPs Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni, and Swati Maliwal announced their resignation from the party and their subsequent merger with the BJP. The defecting members alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its founding principles and core values.
Raghav Chadha had defended the merger by citing constitutional provisions that allow two-thirds of a party's legislative unit to merge with another organization without facing disqualification. Since the AAP holds a total of 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, the group of seven exceeds the required two-thirds threshold. However, Singh countered this by stating that the party has consulted constitutional experts, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal and a former Lok Sabha secretary general, who believe the MPs remain liable for disqualification under the law.
At the presser, Singh claimed that many Supreme Court judgments, including in cases related to Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, had clarified how such defections could lead to disqualification.
He also referred to the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, saying that “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,” Singh said.
Singh also dismissed claims that party MLAs in Punjab are in contact with Raghav Chadha, labelling such developments as "misinformation and rumours."
Singh accused the BJP and Raghav Chadha of deliberately spreading these rumours and noted that protests are being held across Punjab against the "betrayal" by Chadha and other Rajya Sabha MPs who left AAP to join the BJP.
"The public sentiment is against them for betraying AAP and Punjab," Singh claimed during a press conference.
Singh said as he believes that no MLA would want to risk their future by aligning with them. "Would anyone wish to join him and risk their own membership being cancelled? Everyone understands this in politics," Singh remarked.
Singh further alleged that the defections represent a betrayal of the people's mandate, particularly in Punjab, as six of the seven departing members represent that state in the Upper House. Except for Maliwal, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi.
He emphasized that these members were elected specifically on an AAP ticket and that moving to the BJP is an act against the spirit of the Constitution. The AAP has now officially urged the Rajya Sabha Chairman to terminate their memberships to uphold democratic norms.