In a stunning blow to the Aam Aadmi Party, three of its prominent Rajya Sabha MPs—Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal—tendered their resignations Friday and pledged allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move has ignited fierce political rhetoric, with BJP leaders demanding that AAP leadership undertake urgent introspection.
Bansuri Swaraj, a vocal BJP MP, didn’t hold back in her criticism, accusing AAP of fostering anti-women stances, succumbing to ideological voids, and chronically failing its voter base. ‘Two-thirds of their Rajya Sabha team is bailing out,’ she told reporters, framing it as evidence of AAP’s internal rot. Swaraj urged Arvind Kejriwal and Saurabh Bharadwaj to confront the mass departures of disgruntled seniors, which she sees as the party’s framework unraveling.
She credited PM Modi’s visionary policies for luring defectors, painting a picture of BJP’s rising dominance. Anurag Thakur, another BJP heavyweight, painted a grim picture of AAP’s internals, rife with resentment and neglect. Leaders who once championed anti-corruption ideals are now fleeing, he said, amid a string of exits and legal entanglements that spell trouble.
‘We trust the justice system completely,’ Thakur remarked, assuring accountability for wrongdoers. Tikshan Sood, a senior BJP figure, lamented AAP’s deviation from its activist roots, viewing the switch as validation of BJP’s broad public support. MLA Anil Goyal chimed in, calling the defections a damning verdict on AAP’s falling reputation.
This development underscores the fluid nature of coalition politics in India, where ideological shifts and personal ambitions continue to reshape party lines ahead of crucial polls.
