Raghav Chadha has gone on record to explain why he has quit the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party stating that there was a toxic working environment in his previous party. The MP of the Rajya Sabha, who has defected, along with six others, gave his explanation in a video message on social media.
Chadha, one of the initial members of AAP, indicated that he had dedicated almost 15 years of his life to the construction of the party after giving up a successful career as a Chartered Accountant. Going back to his experience with the party, he claimed that it had greatly transformed over the years.
To him, the internal environment of AAP had been limiting and leaders were reportedly not allowed to work or air their opinions freely. He alleged that even attending parliamentary debates was being suppressed which according to him was contrary to democratic operations.
Chadha also accused the party of moving the decision making process into the hands of people he termed as the corrupt and compromised, claiming that they were serving their own selfish interests instead of serving the people. He explained that such developments made him eventually rethink his affiliation with the party.
The move has elicited a great response among AAP which has accused the outgoing leadership of betrayal. Chadha, however, argued that he did so because of principle and working in an environment that suits his vision of governance and serving the people.