‘Not Right to Switch for Selfish Gains’: Anna Hazare after Raghav Chadha’s Exit from AAP

Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday criticised Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha over parting ways from AAP and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that such political switching for personal interests is "not right" and not in line with constitutional values.

He emphasised that elected representatives must act within the spirit of the Constitution and avoid decisions driven by personal gain, stating the need to uphold democratic ethics.

Speaking to ANI in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra, Hazare said, "Leaving one party and joining another party is not right... Changing political parties for our selfish needs is not the right thing. This is not mentioned in our Constitution. Our Constitution is supreme. Our country functions based on the Constitution..."

He also stressed that party leaderships must reflect on why leaders choose to leave.

"Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy. They (Chadha and others) must have faced some trouble, which is why they left," Hazare told reporters on Friday, news agency PTI reported.

Why did Anna Hazare blame Aam Aadmi Party leadership for the recent defections?

The veteran activist went on to place the responsibility on the party leadership. "It is their (AAP leadership's) fault. Had that party followed the right way, they would not have left," Hazare said.

Hazare further said that there are always underlying reasons behind a political decision to leave a party, and these must be seen in the larger democratic context.

"There must be some or the other reason (for their leaving AAP). In a democracy, every person has a view about where to stay and leave," Hazare said.

Hazare was the primary figurehead and ideological mentor for the Aam Aadmi Party's formation via his 2011 anti-corruption movement, though he later distanced himself from Arvind Kejriwal due to the move into mainstream politics.

Hazare's remarks come amid political buzz after the trio of MPs--Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal--announced parting ways from the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday and joined the BJP later in the presence of party chief Nitin Nabin, who later welcomed the decision.

While addressing a presser in the national capital, Chadha said that he, along with six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, has informed the Chairman of the House, in accordance with the rules, of leaving the party.

Now, the Aam Aadmi Party is also set to send a letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman in this matter.

He formalised a split that had been building for weeks, announcing that two-thirds of the party's Upper House members would merge with the BJP.

(With inputs from ANI)