Raghav Chadha cites ‘toxic culture’ in AAP, says BJP move will help him work more effectively

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha on Monday took to social media to explain the reasons behind his exit from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging that the party had turned “toxic”, while asserting that his decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would help him implement the causes he supports more effectively.

Chadha shared a video message on Instagram, a platform popular among Gen Z users, where he reportedly lost around two million followers amid what is being viewed as an online backlash from the youth.

The development follows a major political shift last week when Chadha announced his resignation from AAP along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs — Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahni — all of whom have announced their decision to merge with the BJP.

In the video, Chadha expressed gratitude to those extending their support and said he wanted to address questions regarding his decision to leave the party.

“Some of you wish to know the reasons behind this decision of mine. Before joining politics, I was a practising Chartered Accountant. However, I left my career to join politics and became a founding member of a party. This is a party to which I dedicated 15 years — the prime of my youth; a party I nurtured with my own blood, sweat, and immense hard work,” he said.

However, he stated that the party has changed significantly over time. “However, he said that today, this party is no longer the party it once was, adding that it now suffers from a toxic work environment.”

“You are prevented from doing your work; you are stopped from speaking in Parliament; and today, this political party has fallen into the clutches of a select few individuals who are both corrupt and compromised. These are people who no longer work for the nation, but rather for their own personal gain,” Chadha added.

Reflecting on his internal dilemma over the past few years, he said he increasingly felt he might be “the right man in the wrong party”.

“Consequently, I was left with only three options. The first option was to quit politics entirely; the second was to remain in this party and attempt to set things right — something that, as it turned out, was not possible. And the third option was to channel my energy and experience into practising positive politics — to join a different platform, to align myself with another political party, and to engage in constructive political work.”

“Therefore, and I did not do this alone; it was not just one, two, three, four, five, or even six other MPs, but a total of seven MPs who collectively took the decision to sever our ties with this political party,” he said.

Chadha further defended the collective decision taken by the group, questioning criticism of their move.

“A single individual might be mistaken; two individuals might be mistaken; but seven people cannot all be wrong. And what of the countless others — the educated, erudite individuals who once believed in the vision of this political party, and who have since left? Could all of them possibly be wrong?” he asked.

Drawing a parallel with workplace environments, he added, “Think of it this way: for those of you who work in offices — if your workplace were to become a toxic environment, how much work would you actually be able to accomplish? Would you even be able to function there? If you were hindered from doing your job, if your hard work were stifled, and if you were silenced — what would you do? In such a situation, the right decision is to leave that workplace. Perhaps that is exactly what we did.”

He also assured the public that his political priorities would remain unchanged.

“Many of you have also asked me whether I will continue to champion your causes — the ordinary problems faced by ordinary citizens — or if I will stop. I want to assure you that I will continue to raise your issues consistently, with renewed energy, and with great passion. And the best part is that now, we will also be able to find solutions to those problems and ensure that they are actually implemented,” Chadha added.

IANS