Raghav Chadha on Monday explained his decision to exit the AAP, alleging that the party had become ‘toxic’. He said his move to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would enable him to work more effectively.
In a video message shared on Instagram, Raghav Chadha addressed growing questions about his departure. He reportedly lost around two million followers following the move. The losses came as online backlash intensified, particularly among younger users.
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The development follows a major political shift last week. Raghav Chadha and six other Rajya Sabha MPs resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The MPs include:
- Swati Maliwal
- Harbhajan Singh
- Sandeep Pathak
- Ashok Mittal
- Rajinder Gupta
- Vikram Sahni
They also announced their decision to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In the video, Chadha reflected on his political journey. He stated, “Some of you wish to know the reasons behind this decision of mine. Before joining politics, I was a practising Chartered Accountant. However, I left my career to join politics and became a founding member of a party. This is a party to which I dedicated 15 years, the prime of my youth; a party I nurtured with my own blood, sweat, and immense hard work.”
Raghav Chadha further added that the party had changed significantly.
“However, he said that today, this party is no longer the party it once was, adding that it now suffers from a toxic work environment,” he asserted.
“You are prevented from doing your work; you are stopped from speaking in Parliament; and today, this political party has fallen into the clutches of a select few individuals who are both corrupt and compromised. These are people who no longer work for the nation, but rather for their own personal gain,” he added.
Raghav Chadha described his dilemma, stating he felt he might be ‘the right man in the wrong party’.
“Consequently, I had only three options:
Quit politics entirely,
Remain in the party and attempt to set things right, which, as it turned out, was not possible, and
Channel my energy and experience into practising positive politics by joining a different platform, aligning with another political party, and engaging in constructive political work.
I did not take this decision alone. It was not just one, two, three, four, five, or even six other MPs, but a total of seven MPs who collectively decided to sever our ties with this political party,” he noted.
Defending the group’s move, Raghav Chadha added, “One person can make a mistake; two people can make mistakes; but seven people cannot all make mistakes. And what of the countless others — the educated, erudite individuals who once believed in the vision of this political party, and who have since left? Could all of them possibly be wrong?”
Drawing a workplace analogy, he said, “Think of it this way: for those of you who work in offices, if your workplace were to become a toxic environment, how much work would you actually be able to accomplish? Would you even be able to function there? If you were hindered from doing your job, if your hard work were stifled, and if you were silenced, what would you do? In such a situation, the right decision is to leave that workplace. Perhaps that is exactly what we did.”
Raghav Chadha also assured continuity in his work.
“Many of you have also asked me whether I will continue to champion your causes, the ordinary problems faced by ordinary citizens, or if I will stop. I want to assure you that I will continue to raise your issues consistently, with renewed energy, and with great passion. And the best part is that we can now find solutions to those problems and ensure their implementation,” he said.
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