”We will vet them 100 times”: Kejriwal on future Rajya Sabha picks after 7 AAP MPs join BJP

Panaji (Goa) [India], September 13 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that, going forward, the party will thoroughly scrutinise anyone before sending them to the Rajya Sabha.
He made the remarks during a press conference in Goa while responding to a question about party leaders switching sides.
Kejriwal said, “Our elected representatives have never betrayed anyone so far.” Referring to the Aam Aadmi Party’s first victory in Delhi and its subsequent electoral success in Goa, Kejriwal said, “In Goa, we had two MLAs in 2022. The BJP needed one MLA, but they could not break away our MLAs.”
However, Kejriwal also referred to the recent incident in which seven Aam Aadmi Party MPs joined the BJP, describing it as unfortunate. He said, “It is very unfortunate that our Rajya Sabha MPs left. They betrayed the party. The party had sent them to the Rajya Sabha, not the people. But the Aam Aadmi Party has never betrayed anyone to date.”
Kejriwal further said, “This is a lesson for us when it comes to the Rajya Sabha. Now, before sending anyone to the Rajya Sabha, we will thoroughly scrutinise them to make sure they are the right person.”
It may be recalled that a total of seven Aam Aadmi Party MPs, including the party’s national organisational general secretary Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, who had been one of the party’s prominent faces in Parliament, joined the BJP on April 24, 2026. This came as a major setback for the Aam Aadmi Party. This is the first time Arvind Kejriwal has publicly responded to the development. 
Chadha said that the decision stems from AAP "moving away from its core ideology" and alleged that it is now working for personal benefits. "The AAP, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat, and gave 15 years of my youth to, has deviated from its principles, values and core morals. Now this party does not work in the interest of the nation but for its personal benefits...For the past few years, I could feel that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, we announce that I am distancing myself from the AAP and getting close to the public," he said. (ANI)