New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal recently visited Chennai to campaign in support of the DMK for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. An episode from that trip is now being widely discussed in Delhi’s political circles.
During the campaign alongside Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Kejriwal was reportedly briefed by Punjab intelligence police officials. He was told that around 10 AAP MLAs and a few MPs were preparing to shift toward the BJP.
Punjab, where AAP is in power under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is due to face Assembly elections in February next year. After returning to Delhi, Kejriwal met MPs and MLAs to pacify them, but seven Rajya Sabha MPs reportedly moved to the BJP.
The report claims a key role was played by Raghav Chadha, described as a major strategist behind AAP’s 2022 Punjab victory. It adds that differences between Chadha and Kejriwal had grown in recent times, and that Chadha was removed from the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, triggering further fallout.
BJP leaders have mocked Kejriwal’s timing in travelling to campaign for the DMK, and have also linked it to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not campaigning alongside Stalin. With Punjab polls about 10 months away, the developments are being seen as a major setback for AAP.
