The seven Aam Aadmi Party MPs who defected to the BJP last week have been formally recognised as members of the ruling party in the Rajya Sabha, with the party positions updated on the Upper House website.

AAP Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh, who had petitioned the House Chairman on Sunday to disqualify the defectors under Schedule X of the Constitution, said he remained hopeful of a favourable decision.

“This decision of the Rajya Sabha Chairman (to recognise the defectors as BJP members) is based on the letter from the seven MPs to merge with the BJP," Singh said.

"But when the Chairman takes cognisance of my letter, which states that the membership of these MPs should be suspended, I hope he will give his decision to protect the Constitution and democracy."

The Congress used the development to attack the AAP, saying it had been compelled to include the party in the INDIA bloc by other allies despite it being a BJP "proxy".

Ajay Maken, Congress treasurer and former minister in Delhi and at the Centre, described AAP leaders as "anti-national".

"I have consistently maintained that the leaders of the AAP are anti-national…. It is now evident how they engage in the trading of election tickets in exchange for money and how, subsequently, they effectively hand over the spoils of their actions to the Bharatiya Janata Party," Maken told a news conference.

"Previously, the BJP was unable to make any headway against either (former Prime Minister) Dr Manmohan Singh or (former Delhi chief minister) Sheila Dikshitji. Consequently, they put forward a proxy — and that proxy is Arvind Kejriwal and AAP," he said.

"Across the country, this proxy strategically contests elections precisely in those constituencies where there is a direct, head-to-head contest between the Congress and the BJP. They contest in Delhi, they contest in Haryana, they contest in Goa, and they contest in Gujarat."

The Congress has suffered defections in these states, especially in Goa where most of its MLAs have switched to the BJP.

"I would just like to reiterate what I have been saying all along: that it was a big mistake on the part of the Congress party — back in early 2014 — to have supported the AAP’s 40-day tenure in government," Maken said.

"….And even subsequently, during the Lok Sabha elections, we could have avoided this situation; however, there are pressures — and counter-pressures — from other alliance partners, based on which we are compelled to make certain decisions," he continued.

"The party cannot simply take a unilateral decision — even while knowing full well that he (Kejriwal) acts as a proxy for the BJP — because one has to make certain decisions collectively, with the assistance of other alliance partners.

"And when the other alliance partners are so hell-bent on the idea that 'we need this party with us' or 'we need this person with us in the alliance', then the Congress party cannot do much...."

During the recent Kerala Assembly poll campaign, the Congress had accused INDIA ally and state rival CPM of being hand in glove with the BJP.

In Tamil Nadu, where it fought the election in alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, some Congress leaders had attacked their ally and pushed for an understanding with new entrant Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

In Bengal, Rahul Gandhi has castigated Mamata Banerjee's governance record and accused her of setting the stage for the BJP's rise in the state.