'BJP ne phir kiya...': Arvind Kejriwal's first reaction after Raghav Chadha quits AAP

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the BJP has once again 'betrayed' Punjabis after seven of the party's 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, quit the party on Friday.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kejriwal wrote, "BJP ne phir kiya Punjabiyon ke saath dhakka. (The BJP has once again betrayed Punjabis.)" 

Moreover, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took the "washing machine" jibe at the BJP.

"BJP has betrayed Punjab...The same washing machine was used at the party of Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress...BJP has no base in Punjab," Mann said. 

In a major setback for the AAP, Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal announced at a press conference that two-thirds of the party's members in the Upper House have quit and will join the BJP as a faction. Chadha also said Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal are quitting the AAP.

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"AAP, that I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth, has completely strayed from its principles, values and core morals," he said.

Chadha was recently removed as the deputy leader of AAP in the Rajya Sabha and was replaced by Mittal in the Upper House.

"In the Rajya Sabha, the Aam Aadmi Party has 10 MPs. More than two-thirds of them are with us in this initiative. They have already signed, and this morning we submitted all the required documentation, including signed letters and other formal paperwork, to the chairman of the Rajya Sabha," Chadha told reporters.

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Hitting out at Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, Chadha said that the party is no longer working for the country, but for its own benefit.

"Over the past few years, I have increasingly felt that I am the right person in the wrong party. Today, I announce my decision to move away from AAP and work more closely with the 'janata' (public)," he said.

Another Rajya Sabha MP, Sandeep Pathak, said that he had never thought that this situation would arise, but it has.

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"For 10 years, I remained associated with this party. And today, I am parting ways with the Aam Aadmi Party," Pathak said.

On April 15, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at business entities linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal in Punjab as part of a FEMA probe.

Kejriwal's reaction came after the announcement by Chadha, Pathak and Mittal, with Chadha saying that more than two-thirds of AAP's 10 Rajya Sabha MPs were with the breakaway group and that the required documents had been submitted to the Rajya Sabha chairman.