NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party has petitioned Rajya Sabha Chairman, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan to terminate the membership of seven MPs who left the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, party leader Sanjay Singh said on Sunday.He said AAP had consulted constitutional experts, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal and former Lok Sabha Secretary-General PDT Achary, who were of the opinion that that the MPs were “liable for disqualification under the law”.
The political crisis within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) deepened after 7 Rajya Sabha MPs announced on Friday, saying they’re leaving the party, triggering a sharp legal and political dispute over the validity of the move and its implications under anti-defection rules.Among the MPs named in the controversy are Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney. Chadha has suggested the departures stem from “disappointment, disengagement and disgust” within the party, while Sahney cited governance concerns in Punjab, including debt stress, agrarian issues and drug abuse, as well as alleged lack of access to leadership.Party insiders say the leadership was aware of possible defections and had attempted last-minute efforts to prevent at least some MPs from leaving, amid claims of political pressure and internal dissatisfaction.Earlier reports stated that Punjab CM Bhagwant Mannalso sought time from President Droupadi Murmu along with party MLAs to press for a “recall” of the MPs, even though the Constitution does not provide for any recall mechanism for Members of Parliament or state legislators.AAP has strongly contested the development. Earlier, Sanjay Singh had cited the Tenth Schedule, asserting that defections of this nature are not legally valid and should lead to disqualification proceedings.However, legal opinion remains divided. While AAP leaders argue that any such split is unconstitutional, several experts note that the anti-defection law permits a merger if supported by two-thirds of a legislature party, raising questions over whether the move would actually attract disqualification.
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Singh also dismissed reports that Punjab MLAs are in contact with Raghav Chadha, calling it “false propaganda” aimed at creating confusion. He alleged that such narratives were being circulated by the BJP and others, and claimed that the leaders in question were facing public backlash in Punjab. Singh said people were protesting against them and that their political standing had weakened, adding that with their “membership about to end,” it was unlikely that any MLA would associate with them.
