Veteran social activist Anna Hazare reacted strongly after seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs including Raghav Chadha left AAP and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).                         

Speaking in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district on Friday Hazare said AAP leaders would not have quit if they had followed the path.

“They Would Not Have Left” — Anna Hazare

Had AAP followed the way they would not have left Hazare told reporters. In a democracy everyone has freedom to choose where they want to stay.

Such a big exit shows there were serious internal problems. Hazare said Raghav Chadha and six other MPs must have faced some kind of difficulty inside AAP.

Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy.

“They Must Have Faced Trouble”

Hazare repeated that if AAP had remained true to its mission these leaders would not have resigned.

7 AAP MPs Leave Party, Join BJP

The seven Rajya Sabha MPs who left AAP are:

* Raghav Chadha
* Sandeep Pathak
* Ashok Mittal
* Harbhajan Singh
* Swati Maliwal
* Rajinder Gupta
* Vikram Sahni

All of them have now decided to align with the BJP.

Raghav Chadha’s Big Statement

During a press conference Raghav Chadha said AAP is no longer the party he worked for over 15 years.

The AAP that I worked for has completely strayed from its principles, values and core morals he said. He also claimed that two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs have broken away and will now work as a separate group.

Big Trouble for Arvind Kejriwal’s Party

This is a setback for Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. AAP was born from Anna Hazare’s -corruption movement and became a strong alternative force in Indian politics. Now this mass resignation has raised questions about AAP’s leadership, unity and future strategy.

Reports suggest that internal tensions had been growing for months. Raghav Chadha’s removal as Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha and Ashok Mittal replacing him reportedly became a reason behind the coordinated resignations.

AAP Faces Major Political Crisis

With seven senior MPs walking out and joining BJP AAP is now facing a moment. The development has increased pressure on Arvind Kejriwal. Has sparked debate over whether AAP has moved away, from its values.

Anna Hazare’s sharp reaction has only made the political storm bigger.