Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 28 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey on Monday warned that the defection of AAP leader Raghav Chadha and two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP would represent a direct assault on the Indian Constitution.
Speaking to ANI, Dubey questioned the role of constitutional heads, specifically mentioning Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, suggesting that the machinery of the state is being used to facilitate political manoeuvres that bypass the direct will of the people.
Dubey argued that when high-ranking officials assist those entering government through “the back door,” it fundamentally weakens public faith in democratic institutions.
“People associated with the BJP, whether they are the Governor of Maharashtra or CP Radhakrishnan (Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman), if they help those who have entered the government through the back door, people’s trust in the Constitution will erode,” Dubey said.
The Shiv Sena leader further urged a halt to the proceedings until the judiciary weighs in on the legality of the move. “I believe that at least until this matter goes to court and is debated in the judiciary, this should not happen,” he added.
Earlier on April 27, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh wrote to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking immediate clarification over the alleged unauthorised alteration of his party’s position in the Upper House records.
In his letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, Singh expressed concern that the officially recorded party position of the AAP, as reflected in documents, publications, and proceedings of the House.
The development comes after the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha increased to 113 after Chairman CP Radhakrishnan approved the merger of Raghav Chadha and six other MPs who quit the AAP.
Losing two-thirds of its MPs has been a big setback for the AAP, which is now reduced to a strength of three members in the Upper House of Parliament.
The trio of MPs–Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal–parted ways with the AAP on Friday and subsequently joined the BJP in the presence of party leadership. Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal had also switched to the BJP.
Under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, a “split” is no longer recognised; however, a merger is valid if two-thirds of the members of a legislative party agree to join another party.
By targeting exactly “2/3 of AAP Rajya Sabha MPs,” the move appears calculated to meet the legal threshold for a merger, thereby avoiding disqualification, a tactic Dubey insists must be debated in the judiciary before being finalised. (ANI)