New Delhi (India) April 24:A major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party was struck on Friday when three of its Rajya Sabha MPs -- Raghav Chadha , Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal -- announced their departure from the party. 

Two-thirds AAP MPs to join BJP

While addressing a press conference earlier in the day with Pathak and Mittal beside him, Chadha stated that two-thirds of the party's Rajya Sabha members have left and will be joining the BJP as a group.
"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 said.

He also mentioned that Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh and former Delhi Commission for Women Chief Swati Maliwal will also be leaving the party with him, along with Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahney.

Chadha Calls Himself “right man in wrong party”

Chadha criticised the AAP's departure from its original principles and confessed to feeling like the "right man in the wrong party."
Raghav said "The AAP , which I nurtured with my blood and sweat, and gave 15 years of my youth to, has deviated from its principles, values and core morals. Now this party does not work in the interest of the nation but for its personal benefits...For the past few years, I could feel that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, we announce that I am distancing myself from the AAP and getting close to the public," he said.

Raghav Claims AAP Strayed from Anti-Corruption Roots

He further accused the AAP leadership of straying from its anti-corruption platform.
“With great sadness, pain, and shame, I say that the party, which was formed with a pledge to end corruption, is now deeply trapped in the hands of corrupt and compromised individuals. That is why every patriotic person who joined the Aam Aadmi Party to serve the nation has either already left or is leaving the party one by one,” he said.

Rift after Rajya Sabha Post Removal

The split between AAP and Chadha became public when the party leadership removed him from his Rajya Sabha position this month, claiming he was avoiding standing up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre in Parliament, opting instead for "soft PR." Chadha countered these accusations as a "coordinated attack" and denied refusing to leave Parliament or sign an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner.