.
NEW DELHI: Delhi leader of opposition and AAP MLA Atishi on Tuesday strongly criticised the Rajya Sabha Secretariat’s notification accepting the merger of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs into the BJP, calling it “unlawful and unconstitutional.”She said the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of the legislative party for a merger between political parties, and under anti-defection laws there is no provision allowing 2/3rd MPs or MLAs to merge with another party.“The merger notification by Rajya Sabha Secretariat yesterday is unlawful and unconstitutional. Supreme Court’s constitution bench has passed clear orders and it is clearly written in the Constitution, and AAP MP Sanjay Singh had also informed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat about the same – that as per the Constitution, when the original political party merges, for that merger 2/3rd legislative party is also required. But under anti-defection laws, there is no provision in this country that 2/3rd MPs or MLAs can merge with another party,” said Atishi.Atishi further warned PM Modi that “the greater the atrocities you unleash, the worse the fate you will meet.”“But how does it matter to the BJP? BJP wants to finish off the Constitution and democracy of this country by hook or by crook…I would like to tell the BJP and PM Narendra Modi that history says that the greater the atrocities you unleash, the worse the fate you will meet. It is clear that the time for the end of BJP and Modi ji’s politics is near. So, their atrocities have increased. But in the history of this world, whenever atrocities have increased, there has come along someone to end those atrocities,” said Atishi.The remarks come after the merger of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs with the BJP was approved by the Rajya Sabha Chairman, increasing the BJP’s strength in the Upper House to 113. The MPs who switched include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal.With this development, the AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has come down to three members.Responding to Union minister Kiren Rijiju’s comments on the issue, Atishi also highlighted the party’s performance under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership and said it reflects public demand for an alternative political force.“BJP wrote an obituary for the AAP 15 times in the last 15 years. Every 6 months, BJP announces that Arvind Kejriwal’s politics is finished. But under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is the country’s fastest-growing party. In just 10 years, the party formed a Govt in Delhi thrice, contested the election in Punjab for the first time and became the principal opposition and when it contested the second time it won a landslide majority, our MLAs won in Gujarat and Goa, we even have an MLA in J&K,” Atishi said.“These clearly show that the people of this country are looking for an alternative, for a different politics. AAP is becoming that alternative. Now, when trial court, CBI court order has exposed BJP’s conspiracy, they are restless. The nation has seen how a conspiracy was hatched against Arvind Kejriwal, how false allegations were levelled…The entire conspriacy is before the country, so, once again ED, CBI is being misused by the BJP,” she added.
