Raghav Chadha Cites Toxic Work Environment In Defence Of AAP Exit

 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has defended his decision to quit the party and join the Bharatiya Janata Party, describing AAP’s internal environment as “toxic” and claiming he was systematically sidelined in the upper house.

In a video statement posted on Instagram late Sunday night, Chadha said that the AAP he helped build over nearly 15 years no longer reflected the values he had entered politics for. He alleged that within the party, he was “stopped from working” and “stopped from speaking in Parliament,” pointing to his removal as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha on April 2 and the subsequent denial of floor‑time as proof of an increasingly suffocating work culture.

Chadha framed his move not as a mere career switch but as a choice forced on him by a “toxic work environment” and a loss of internal democracy. He claimed that the party had drifted from its founding principles, with decision‑making increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small group whose priorities he described as “corrupt” and “compromised,” more focused on personal gain than on public service.

Also Read: AAP Reacts As Raghav Chadha And MPs Reportedly Plan BJP Merger

At a Delhi press conference earlier in the week, Chadha had announced that two‑thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs were merging with the BJP under constitutional provisions governing mergers and splits, including Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal at his side. AAP immediately pushed back, insisting that the correct term for his move was “joined,” not “merged,” and that no formal party merger had taken place, sharply contesting his narrative.

Chadha denied that his decision was driven by ambition or external inducements, saying he had walked away from what he described as a “great career” within AAP. He told critics that he had three options—leave politics, stay and try to fix the party, or channel his energy into “positive politics” elsewhere—and that aligning with the BJP was his attempt to continue serving the country in what he sees as a more enabling environment.

Opposition leaders and party loyalists have dismissed his explanation as a convenient retrospective justification for a high‑profile defection, warning that such exits could further fragment AAP’s national presence. As the Rajya Sabha Chairman moves to authenticate the merger‑cum defection of seven MPs—including Chadha—his allegations of a toxic internal culture are likely to shape the political narrative around AAP’s ability to retain its own leaders.

Also Read: AAP Internal Crisis: Jaihind Alleges Chadha Was Kejriwal's Confidant and Extortion Courier