'AAP has a toxic environment': Raghav Chadha's first attack post BJP switch

Raghav Chadha reveals the reasons behind his departure from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging a 'toxic' work environment and a party controlled by corrupt individuals.

Amid questions raised in some quarters over his decision to quit the Aam Aadmi Party, Raghav Chadha on Monday said the work environment in Arvind Kejriwal's party had turned "toxic" with leaders stopped from working, and asserted that "one or two persons can be wrong, but not all seven".

In a video on social media, Chadha, who -- along with 6 other MPs -- merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party, said he had been receiving several messages over the last three days, with many people congratulating him while others wanted to know the reasons behind his decision.

Chadha said he left a successful career as a practising chartered accountant to enter politics and became a founding member of AAP, giving 15 years of his "prime youth" to build the party.

"I didn't come into politics to make my career," he said, adding that he had worked for the party with his "blood, sweat and tears."

However, he alleged that the party was no longer the same and had turned into a "toxic work environment", where leaders were stopped from working and speaking in Parliament.

"Today, this political party is trapped in the hands of some corrupt and compromised people. They don't work for the country but for their own personal gain," Chadha alleged.

There was no immediate response available from AAP over his allegation.

The Rajya Sabha MP said that for the past few years, he had been feeling that he was "the right man in the wrong party" and was left with only three choices -- to leave politics, to remain in the party and try to fix things or to take his energy and experience to another platform and continue doing "positive politics".

"That's why I, not alone, but along with six other MPs, decided to break the relationship with this political party," he said.

Drawing a parallel with a toxic workplace, Chadha said if people are stopped from working, their hard work is suppressed, and they are silenced, adding that the right decision is to leave such an environment.

He also said he would continue to raise issues of ordinary citizens with more energy and enthusiasm, and hoped to find and implement solutions more effectively on the new political platform.

Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, on April 24, announced that they were joining the BJP, along with four other MPs of the party. The other members who quit the AAP are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney.

During a press conference, Chadha had said that two-thirds of the total MPs of a party can merge with another party, citing the Indian Constitution.

On Monday, the Rajya Sabha chairman approved the merger of AAP's 7 defected MPs with the BJP, raising the number of its members in the Upper House to 113. Arvind Kejriwal-led party is now down to 3 members in Rajya Sabha.