- Anna Hazare suggests AAP MPs’ exit signals party straying from ideals.
- Hazare believes internal troubles likely caused MPs’ decision.
- Seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs recently joined the BJP.
- Exodus poses significant challenge to AAP’s cohesion and direction.
Veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Friday weighed in on the mass exit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs, saying the development reflects a deviation from the party’s founding ideals.
“It is their (AAP leadership’s) fault. Had that party followed the right way, they would not have left,” Hazare told reporters in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district.
‘They Must Have Faced Trouble’
Referring to Raghav Chadha and six other Rajya Sabha members who quit the party, Hazare suggested that internal difficulties may have driven their decision.
“Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy. They must have faced some trouble, which is why they left,” he said.
He reiterated that the leaders’ exit points to deeper issues within the party, adding, “Had the party gone in the right direction, they would not have quit the party.”
VIDEO | Ahmednagar: As Raghav Chadha and 6 other Rajya Sabha MPs quit Aam Aadmi Party to join Bharatiya Janata Party, social activist Anna Hazare says, “…The Constitution does not mention the name of any party… People are free in a democracy, if anybody feels like going… pic.twitter.com/bUWkRhS1ze
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 24, 2026
While underscoring that individuals are free to choose their political path in a democracy, Hazare maintained that such a large-scale exit cannot occur without underlying issues.
“There must be some or the other reason. In a democracy, every person has a view about where to stay and leave,” he said.
Seven AAP MPs Exit, Join BJP
The remarks come a day after seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahni, announced their resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party and their decision to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Addressing a press conference, Chadha said nearly two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs had broken away and would function as a separate faction, citing disillusionment with the party’s functioning.
“The AAP that I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth has completely strayed from its principles, values and core morals,” he said.
Internal Rift And Political Fallout
The exodus is being seen as one of the biggest setbacks for the party led by Arvind Kejriwal since its formation in 2012. The party had emerged from Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, which galvanised public support against graft and positioned AAP as an alternative political force.
According to a PTI report, internal differences had been brewing for some time, with Chadha’s recent removal as Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, replaced by Mittal, acting as a trigger for coordinated action among the MPs.
The departing leaders also claimed that more than two-thirds of the party’s Upper House members had backed the move and that necessary documentation had been submitted to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
The development has intensified scrutiny on AAP’s internal cohesion and political direction, raising questions about its future strategy and leadership as it faces a major organisational challenge.
