From Critic to Convert: Raghav Chadha Leads Dramatic Rajya Sabha Defection To BJP

In a dramatic political turn that could reshape equations in the Rajya Sabha, Raghav Chadha on Friday announced his resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with six other MPs, and declared their decision to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The move, framed by Chadha as a “constitutional merger” backed by two-thirds of AAP’s Upper House members, marks one of the most significant defections the party has faced since its inception, and raises sharp questions about ideological consistency, political ambition, and shifting loyalties in India’s opposition landscape.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Chadha said the group had submitted signed documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman to formalise the merger.

“We have decided that we… exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP.”

The MPs who have joined him include Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal, who has also been a strong critic of the party in the past, among others. Earlier, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak had also resigned from the party.

Chadha’s exit comes just days after he was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, a decision widely seen as the culmination of a growing rift with the party leadership led by Arvind Kejriwal.

In his remarks, Chadha said, “The AAP… has deviated from its principles, values and core morals… I am the right man in the wrong party.”

From Fierce Critic to Political Convert ? 

What makes Chadha’s move particularly striking is his long record as a sharp and articulate critic of the BJP and its top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

In Parliament, Chadha often delivered pointed attacks on the Centre’s economic policies. In one widely circulated Rajya Sabha speech, he mocked what he described as an excessive and burdensome tax regime under the Modi government:

“There is a tax on waking up, there is a tax on sleeping and crying… there is a tax on books and ink, on vegetables, cars, houses, and on buying and selling,” he said during his speech. 

During debates around the Union Budget and economic policy, he repeatedly flagged what he called the growing distress among the middle class, arguing that rising prices and indirect taxation were squeezing ordinary citizens while the government focused on optics over relief.

On institutional functioning, Chadha was equally blunt. In multiple parliamentary interventions, he accused the Centre of “weaponising investigative agencies” like the Enforcement Directorate and CBI against opposition leaders, framing it as an attempt to stifle dissent and tilt the political playing field.

He also took direct aim at what he described as the “centralisation of power in one office”, warning that India’s federal structure was being weakened under the Modi government. In debates around legislation and governance, he argued that states were increasingly being sidelined in decision-making.

On internal security and legislative strategy, Chadha’s criticism of Amit Shah was often pointed. During contentious bills, he questioned the government’s approach, suggesting that laws were being pushed through without adequate consultation or debate—remarks that drew sharp reactions from treasury benches at the time.

Outside Parliament, his tone was no less combative. On social media and public platforms, Chadha frequently attacked the BJP over inflation, unemployment, and what he described as “crony capitalism”, alleging that economic policies disproportionately favoured a handful of large corporations.

AAP leaders now claim that many of these posts have since been deleted. According to party leaders, a search of his social media timeline shows that earlier criticism of Modi and the BJP has largely disappeared, leaving behind only neutral or even complimentary references.

A Calculated Shift? 

AAP has also accused him of stepping back from confrontation in recent months. Senior AAP leaders alleged that Chadha had grown reluctant to directly challenge Modi in Parliament, skipping opposition protests and avoiding sharper political interventions.

Taken together, Chadha’s earlier speeches and positions consistently framed the BJP’s governance model as centralised, institutionally coercive, and economically skewed, while positioning AAP as a decentralised, welfare-oriented alternative.

Moments after the exit were announced, senior party leader Sanjay Singh accused the MPs of betraying both the Punjab government and its people.

Singh said the party had played a key role in Chadha’s political rise, first making him an MLA and later elevating him to Parliament, adding that AAP had “given him a lot,” but he now appeared to have “settled comfortably” in the Bharatiya Janata Party. Expanding his criticism, Singh pointed to leaders like Rajender Gupta, Ashok Mittal and Swati Maliwal, saying the party had supported them as well.

He alleged that the defections were part of a larger political strategy, claiming “Operation Lotus” was being carried out against the Punjab government with the alleged involvement of central agencies like the ED and CBI. Singh added that the people of Punjab “will never forgive” what he described as an act of betrayal, and said they would not forget these “traitors.”