AAP's Rajya Sabha MPs defect to BJP; 'Sheesh Mahal 2' jibe against Kejriwal

In a significant political development, seven Members of Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha have announced their merger with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The group was led by Raghav Chadha, who, along with six other MPs, stated that they were leaving the AAP due to the party straying from its founding principles and falling into 'corrupt and compromised' hands. Chadha expressed that honest and hardworking leaders no longer had a place in the AAP and that the party was heading down a path no one wished to be associated with [14, 16, 19]. The defecting MPs include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikramjit Singh Sahney [9, 14, 20]. This move, constituting two-thirds of AAP's strength in the Rajya Sabha, is seen as an attempt by these MPs to retain their seats under the anti-defection law, which generally exempts mergers of two-thirds of a party's legislative members [3, 8, 17]. The AAP has announced its intention to approach the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking the disqualification of these seven MPs, arguing that the merger lacks constitutional validity under the anti-defection framework [14, 17]. AAP leader Sanjay Singh accused the defectors of betraying the people of Punjab and the party that gave them opportunities, labelling the BJP's actions as 'Operation Lotus' [3, 12]. This mass defection has sent ripples through the political landscape, particularly in Punjab, where the AAP government faces assembly elections early next year [9, 20]. The BJP, meanwhile, welcomed the new members, with BJP President Nitin Nabin extending best wishes to them to work towards 'Viksit Bharat 2047' under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership [9, 12]. In a separate but related political controversy, the BJP has intensified its attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, dubbing his new official residence at Lodhi Estate as 'Sheesh Mahal 2' [2, 7, 13]. This moniker is a sequel to the earlier 'Sheesh Mahal' controversy surrounding the renovation of Kejriwal's previous official residence. The BJP alleges that private money, not public funds, was used for the amenities and luxurious features of the new bungalow, drawing parallels to extravagance [4, 10]. Delhi's Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma led the attack, calling Kejriwal 'Delhi's Rahman Dakait' and questioning the expenditure on the residence [4, 10]. The AAP has vehemently denied these allegations, with leader Atishi calling the shared photographs fake and politically motivated, challenging the BJP to open their own homes for public scrutiny [4, 10]. The previous 'Sheesh Mahal' controversy also involved allegations of financial irregularities related to renovations at Kejriwal's former Delhi Chief Minister's residence [7]. The article also touches upon the political climate surrounding these events, with AAP leaders like Sanjay Singh alleging that the BJP is destabilizing the party through central agencies and 'Operation Lotus' [3]. Raghav Chadha himself had recently been removed as AAP's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, a move that preceded his public departure from the party [8, 18, 19]. The situation highlights internal dissent within the AAP and the broader political maneuvering between the ruling BJP and the opposition parties.

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