Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 24, will meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 to apprise of the alleged misuse of the Punjab government’s official machinery for political vendetta and the targeting of MPs who made switched parties along with him.
The President’s office granted the audience to Chadha and his fellow MPs following a request from them. Chadha and some other Rajya Sabha members would meet the President at 10.40am to raise their concerns against the state government’s actions, one of his confidants said on Sunday, refusing to specify the number of members likely to accompany him.
According to the schedule, the group will meet the President before Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who is also slated to call on her at 12 noon on Tuesday to seek a “recall” of those who defected from the AAP.
Seven MPs, constituting two-thirds of the AAP’s total strength of 10 in the Upper House, had switched to the BJP on April 24. They include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney (all from Punjab), and Swati Maliwal (Delhi).
The MPs’ meeting assumes significance following reports that two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak by the Punjab Police under non-bailable sections.
{{/usCountry}}The MPs’ meeting assumes significance following reports that two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak by the Punjab Police under non-bailable sections.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, the Punjab Pollution Control Board conducted a raid on the premises of Gupta’s firm, Trident Limited. Gupta is the chairman emeritus of the company.
Mann had also sought a collective audience for all AAP MLAs from Punjab, but the President’s office invited only him. The CM later announced that he would travel to Rashtrapati Bhavan with his fellow AAP legislators, who will wait outside while he presents the “concerns” of the people of state to the President.
No information about FIRs: Pathak
A day after reports of him being booked for non-bailable offences, Pathak said he has not received any official information about the FIRs registered against him in Punjab. “Since yesterday, television channels have been reporting that two FIRs have been filed against me. I have not received any formal or informal information about these cases. I have been waiting to receive a copy of the FIRs so that I can respond,” he told reporters in Delhi.
The Rajya Sabha member, whose switch to the BJP left the AAP leadership stunned, said it was possible that an FIR was lodged against him through the misuse of government machinery, but he would be able to respond only after seeing it. “All those who know me or have worked with me, whether volunteers or leaders, are well aware that I have always worked according to principles and righteousness. This was how I worked as long as I was in the AAP. Today, I am in the BJP. I will continue to work according to principles and righteousness,” he said.
Pathak also stated that he did not quit the AAP for any personal reasons, but due to longstanding differences in ideology and working style. “Hamara aur unka rasta ab alag hai (our paths have now diverged),” he added.