Piyush Goyal Accuses AAP of Losing Core Values After MPs Joined BJP

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday reacted to the joining of two-thirds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the AAP had lost its core values and was associated with corruption and misgovernance.

Agra: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of having lost its core values, with the party now being synonymous with corruption and misgovernance. Speaking to ANI, Goyal said that the AAP government in both Delhi and Punjab had disappointed the public. "Be it the people of Delhi or of Punjab, AAP troubled both of them. The heights of corruption that had reached in Punjab and Delhi during AAP rule were not tolerated by anyone," he said.

Attacking the party leadership, Goyal further said, "AAP and Arvind Kejriwal have overlooked the public and neglected their aspirations and expectations. In a way, he became the symbol of corruption and misgovernance."

Commenting on the MPs leaving the party, he added, "If MPs felt that now the AAP has lost its core values and principles, and that a corrupt circle has formed around Arvind Kejriwal, they quit the party. Perhaps more of them would quit in the days ahead."

The comments came after the Aam Aadmi Party suffered a major setback after its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who was removed as the party's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha earlier, joined the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday.

While addressing a presser in the national capital on Friday, Chadha formalised a split that had been building for weeks, announcing that two-thirds of the party's Upper House members would merge with the BJP. The move triggered furious reactions from AAP leaders while drawing a warm welcome from the BJP.