The Aam Aadmi Party reacted very quickly to the news of two thirds of their Rajya Sabha members leaving for the BJP. Manish Sisodia, a senior person in the party, went to see Kejriwal in Delhi after coming back from Gujarat, and they considered how to use the ‘anti-defection’ process in response to Raghav Chadha’s announcement that he and six others were leaving.
Sisodia went directly to Kejriwal’s house from the airport. The meeting lasted over thirty minutes and was about how the split will affect things politically and what the party should do next.
Leadership huddle after Rajya Sabha exits
Raghav Chadha explained that he and six other Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha members have officially told the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha that they are leaving the party, following the proper procedures. The party is now preparing its own official message to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Party insiders say discussions are continuing to create a unified plan. The leaders see these events as a big problem for the organization of the party.
Complaint to Chairman under anti-defection law
ND Gupta, the Aam Aadmi Party’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, will deliver a letter to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha about Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, and ask for them to be punished according to the ‘anti-defection’ law.
These three leaders were seen publicly joining the BJP. Four others didn’t do this publicly, so the complaint will only mention the actions of those who were seen to have joined.
Sanjay Singh, a senior Aam Aadmi Party leader, says he’ll write to the Chairman asking for these three MPs to be disqualified – removed from their jobs – under the Tenth Schedule (which explains how people can be removed from Parliament if they’ve changed parties).
How the rift built up
This split has been happening for weeks. It became clear after the Aam Aadmi Party removed Chadha as deputy leader of the Rajya Sabha, and several other people in the party then criticized him, saying he was being too nice to the BJP.
Ashok Kumar Mittal, who took Chadha’s place, joined the BJP as did Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal. This made people think that more and more of the party’s members in Parliament are dividing.
Key developments at a glance
Here are the main moves the party acknowledges and plans to contest:
– Two-thirds of AAP Rajya Sabha MPs joined the BJP
– Raghav Chadha notified the Rajya Sabha Chairman of exit
– Sisodia met Kejriwal for a late-night strategy huddle
– AAP to seek anti-defection action against three MPs
Sisodia’s Gujarat return and urgency in Delhi
Manish Sisodia had been in Rajkot, Gujarat, helping with the local elections. When he got back to Delhi late at night, he went straight to Kejriwal’s house, according to party sources.
The two leaders talked about how the split could affect the party staying together and managing to get things done in Parliament. They also looked at the official steps they could take with the Rajya Sabha administration.
What comes next for AAP
The party is about to send an official letter to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha about the recent departures. ND Gupta’s letter will likely ask for action against the three MPs who were at the BJP headquarters.
Sanjay Singh’s letter will separately ask for the disqualification of the three MPs using the Tenth Schedule. These actions, along with the discussions within the party, show that the Aam Aadmi Party is trying to take firm control of its members of Parliament.
The leadership has said they’ll respond in a planned way as they look at both legal and political options. People within the party say they’re concentrating on quickly following the correct procedures and making a longer-term plan to make the party stable.
Official actions in motion
The following steps, according to party sources, are moving in parallel:
– ND Gupta will file a complaint against three MPs
– AAP will send its own letter to the Chairman
– Sanjay Singh will urge disqualification proceedings
The situation now means that the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha’s office will be very important. The letters from the Aam Aadmi Party and the MPs could lead to a testing of how the ‘anti-defection’ rules work.
