Had AAP followed its principles, Chaddha & others would not have quit party: Anna Hazare

Pune: Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members would not have left the party to join BJP had it followed its principles.Hazare also demanded a stringent law to prevent elected representatives from switching parties when he was interacting with reporters in his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahilyanagar district.After Chadha and some other AAP members decided to quit the party, Hazare said, "If the nation and the society's welfare remains the top priority, nobody will leave the party. The problem starts when power and wealth becomes the priority."While resigning from AAP, Chadha claimed that AAP had deviated from its original principles. He said six other MPs from the party would join BJP.Reacting to Chadha's political move, Hazare said, "They must have faced some problems, which is why they left the party. There must be a strong reason for them to take that call. Ultimately, in a democracy, they have the freedom to choose their path."Hazare, along with AAP's national convener and Delhi's former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, had spearheaded a national campaign demanding a strong Lokpal Bill to fight corruption. Later, Kejriwal, along with some protesters, went on to form AAP.