Raghav Chadha, others wouldn't have left AAP had it followed 'right' path: Anna Hazare

Mumbai: Social activist Anna Hazare on Friday said Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha members would not have quit the party had it followed the "right" path.

"Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in democracy. They (Chadha and others) must have faced some trouble, which is why they left," Hazare told reporters in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra.



Also Read: Raghav Chadha quits AAP, a party he co-founded with Arvind Kejriwal, to join BJP

Earlier in the day, AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, addressing a joint press conference in Delhi, announced their exit from the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to join the BJP.

Chadha claimed that nearly two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members had quit the party and would function as a separate faction.

"It is their (AAP leadership's) fault. Had that party followed the right way, they would not have left," Hazare said.

Hazare reiterated that Chadha and others must have faced some difficulties within AAP and that is why they left. "Had the party gone in the right direction, they would not have quit the party," he added.


Also Read: Hum AAP ke hain kaun! Why everyone leaves Arvind Kejriwal

"There must be some or the other reason (for their leaving AAP). In a democracy, every person has a view about where to stay and leave," Hazare said.

The Chadha-led exodus marks a significant setback for the Kejriwal-led party since its formation in 2012, which followed the momentum of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement.