Meerut (UP), Apr 25 (PTI) Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary on Saturday said that the Aam Aadmi Party failed to fulfil the promises it made to the public, and the quitting of its seven Rajya Sabha MPs was a direct consequence of that "failure".

Chaudhary, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, inspected the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University, which is currently under construction, and subsequently addressed an 'Ekta Rally' at Ikri village in Meerut.

Later speaking to reporters, Chaudhary while commenting on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha joining the BJP, said that AAP failed to fulfil the promises it made to the public, and that setback was a direct consequence of that failure.

AAP suffered a jolt on Friday as seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, quit the party, with Chadha asserting that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles.

Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni and Swati Maliwal were the other four parliamentarians who quit the party.

When asked about the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures by 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats, Chaudhary said that the opposition parties may have gained a momentary advantage from blocking the passage of the Bill, but they would eventually face the punishment for it.

He argued that since women are actively engaged in every sphere -- from working in Anganwadis and serving as teachers to contributing to industries -- there is no reason why they cannot be elected as MLAs and MPs.

The amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures by 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on April 17.