AAP MP Raghav Chadha on Friday issued his first remarks since being dropped by his party as Rajya Sabha deputy leader. In a video message posted on X, Chadha asked if it was a “crime” to raise public interest issues in Parliament. “Have I done something wrong?”, Chadha was seen asking in the clip.
“Whenever I get the chance to speak in Parliament, I raise public's issues…but is it a crime or a mistake to do so? I am asking this because AAP has told the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to put a stop to Raghav Chadha's Parliament address,” Chadha said.
The AAP leader wondered why anyone would want him to stop speaking in the Parliament when he only raises issues important to the public. He went on to cite some topics he raked up in Rajya Sabha, including the high food fares on airports, gig workers' problems, issues with prepaid mobile plans and taxes paid by the middle class, among others.
“Why would anyone want to silence me?,” Raghav Chadha said, further expressing gratitude to people for their support. In a stern message, Chadha further said: “Don't mistake my silence for my defeat”.
{{/usCountry}}“Why would anyone want to silence me?,” Raghav Chadha said, further expressing gratitude to people for their support. In a stern message, Chadha further said: “Don't mistake my silence for my defeat”.
{{/usCountry}}The AAP leader was replaced as the party's Rajya Sabha deputy leader on Thursday and the role was reassigned to MP Ashok Mittal.
Hours after being replaced, Raghav Chadha shared a clip on X that featured a compilation of the issues he raised in Parliament. The post was accompanied by a 🧿emoji, but there were no additional remarks by Chadha on the Rajya Sabha setback.
Flight delays, alleged paper leaks and demand for legal paternity leave were among some issues Raghav Chadha raised in Parliament over the past few weeks.
Rift between Raghav Chadha and AAP?
The AAP's decision to drop Raghav Chadha from the key Rajya Sabha post was widely seen as an indication of a rift within the AAP. The Opposition also drew parallels with the very public rift between former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal back in 2024.
“First it was Swati Maliwal and now Raghav Chadha, both key figures in AAP Delhi, who appear to have moved away from Kejriwal’s style of functioning,” Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, as stated in an earlier HT report. The BJP leader also said that AAP's move indicates that Chadha has moved away from the “anarchic and corrupt leadership” of Kejriwal.
Raghav Chadha’s silence on several key issues concerning AAP is being speculated as a possible reason for the Rajya Sabha move. When Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in March 2024 in connection with the excise policy case, Chadha was notably absent from the protests, stating that he was in London undergoing eye surgery. According to a PTI report, Chadha remained away during Kejriwal's nearly six-month incarceration and met him only a few days after his release on September 13, 2024.
Meanwhile, AAP maintains that the decision to replace Raghav Chadha in the key Rajya Sabha role was part of internal restructuring. AAP leaders reportedly also refuted the claims that Chadha was prevented from speaking in the Rajya Sabha under the quota of the party MPs.