NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam’s defection to Congress was “just another chapter in the shifting tides of politics.”
“People change sides, come and go. The AAP gave all due respect to Rajendra Pal Gautam. The party entrusted him with significant responsibilities by appointing him as a minister and overseeing multiple departments,” AAP Delhi State vice-president Kuldeep Kumar said.
“Switching the parties is a common trend, often when candidates sense that the ground realities are not in their favour, and their chances of securing a ticket are uncertain, they change sides,” he added.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said only Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi could have included Gautam, who is an “anti-Santan Dharma activist”.
Claiming that no party would have accepted Gautam, Sachdeva alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Kejriwal asked his friends in Congress to include him.
He alleged that by inducting Gautam, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has affirmed that Congress is a sanctuary for those who oppose Sanatan Dharma.
Gautam resigned from AAP on Friday, saying he wanted to intensify the struggle for social justice. “I am resigning from the membership and all posts of AAP to accelerate the struggle for social justice and participation of the Bahujan Samaj in all sectors,” Gautam said in a post in Hindi on X. Gautam resigned as social welfare minister in October 2022 after he kicked off a political storm over his alleged remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses.