Kejriwal tries to stop defections, but it’s too little, too late

New Delhi: After learning that members of his party in the Lok Sabha were unlikely to break away and join the Bharatiya Janata Party till the end, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal made a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation by reaching out to a majority of the MPs, but it turned out to be too little, too late.People aware of the developments said that Sandeep Pathak has also joined the breakaway group, which is the biggest surprise as Kejriwal considers him a loyalist who will not change his stance.Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday said he has submitted a petition to RS president CP Radhakrishnan seeking the disqualification of seven AAP MPs who merged with the BJP. He said the party would also take legal action if necessary, claiming the move violated anti-defection laws.Singh said many Supreme Court rulings, including those related to Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, had clarified how such defections could lead to disqualification.Meanwhile, sources said the trajectory of events leading up to the defection showed that Kejriwal started contacting AAP MPs from April 22, making at least phone calls and holding meetings with Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak. Harbhajan Singh was in Mumbai at the time but Kejriwal is understood to have spoken to him.When Sahni met Kejriwal on April 22, the latter asked him if he was facing any pressure and had he received any call to join the BJP. Sources said it was learned that Kejriwal also had a meeting with Sandeep Pathak for an hour and a half, during which he was assured that Pathak would not cross the line.On Friday, Kejriwal again spoke to Sahni and asked the MP to meet him in the evening. However, Raghav Chadha held a press conference in the afternoon to announce the Congress MP’s switch to the BJP. Kejriwal’s efforts have failed to bear fruit, a sign that trouble has been brewing for a long time.Not just Chadha, Pathak too has been disgruntled for some time. Both played a key role in the party’s victory in Punjab. However, sources said Pathak faced gradual marginalization after the party’s defeat in the Delhi polls. Sahni told TOI that one of the reasons for his decision was growing disillusionment with the functioning of the state government and the crisis facing Punjab.