AAP issues petition to Lok Sabha president demanding sacking of 7 MPs who switched to BJP

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has requested Rajya Sabha Chairman Vice President CP Radhakrishnan to terminate the services of all seven MPs who quit the party and joined it. bjpthe leader said Sanjay Singh on Sunday.He said the AAP had consulted constitutional experts, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal and former Lok Sabha general secretary PDT Achary, who opined that the MP “is liable to be disqualified under the law”.The political crisis within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has deepened after seven members of India’s Rajya Sabha announced their resignation from the party on Friday, sparking a fierce legal and political dispute over the effectiveness of the move and its implications under anti-defection rules.The MPs under controversy include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney. Chadha said the departures stemmed from “disillusionment, disengagement and disgust” within the party, while Sani cited governance issues in Punjab, including debt pressure, land issues and drug abuse, as well as an alleged lack of access to the leadership.Party insiders said the leadership was aware of the possibility of defections and made a last-minute attempt to prevent at least some lawmakers from leaving, allegedly facing political pressure and internal dissatisfaction.Earlier reports said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu and party MLAs to urge “recall” of MPs, though the constitution does not provide any recall mechanism for members of Parliament or state legislators.The AAP strongly questioned the development. Earlier, Sanjay Singh cited the Tenth Schedule and claimed that defection of this nature has no legal effect and should lead to disqualification proceedings.However, legal opinion remains divided. While AAP leaders believe any such split is unconstitutional, some experts point out that the anti-defection law allows for mergers with the support of two-thirds of the parties in the legislature, raising questions about whether the move would actually lead to disqualification.Singh also dismissed reports that the Punjab MLA was in contact with Raghav Chadha, calling it “false propaganda” aimed at creating confusion. He alleged that the BJP and others were spreading such narratives and alleged that the leaders concerned were facing public backlash in Punjab. People are protesting against them and their political standing has been weakened, Singh said, adding that with their “membership coming to an end” it was unlikely that any MLAs would be associated with them.