Raghav Chadha publicly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party a day after being removed from the post of deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, a decision that came amid growing speculation about tensions between him and the party’s top leadership. He was replaced by Punjab MP Ashok Mittal.
In a video message shared on X, Chadha questioned the party’s move and alleged that it was an attempt to restrict his ability to speak in Parliament. He asked whether raising issues concerning the public had become unacceptable, emphasising that he consistently used his opportunities in the Rajya Sabha to highlight matters affecting ordinary citizens. He pointed out that he had spoken on a range of topics, including high food prices at airports, concerns of gig workers, food adulteration, toll-related issues, banking scams, taxpayer burdens, and mobile recharge costs. He argued that these discussions were meant to benefit the common people and questioned why such efforts would create discomfort within his own party. Asserting his stance, he stated that although he may have been silenced, he had not been defeated.
The controversy began after the Aam Aadmi Party formally communicated with the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, requesting Chadha’s removal from the deputy leader position and proposing Mittal as his replacement. Reports also suggested that the party had asked that he not be allotted speaking time under its quota in the Upper House.
Chadha, once considered a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal and among the younger prominent faces of the party, had played a key role in AAP’s political activities, particularly in Punjab and during its governance in Delhi.
However, AAP leaders have rejected his claims, maintaining that the party follows a democratic process in allocating speaking time in Parliament and that Chadha would continue to receive opportunities to speak in the future.
The situation follows a period of relative silence from Chadha on internal party matters, along with his absence from several events led by Kejriwal. His relationship with the party leadership appears to have weakened, making him the second AAP Rajya Sabha MP, after Swati Maliwal, to experience strained ties with the leadership.
It is also notable that Chadha was outside the country for medical treatment when Kejriwal and other senior AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia, were arrested in connection with the excise policy case in March 2024. More recently, he did not publicly respond even after a Delhi court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia, and others in the same case, further adding to perceptions of distance between him and the party leadership.
