‘Silenced, not defeated’: Raghav Chaddha hits out at AAP after his removal as Rajya Sabha deputy leader, party says he misused parliament time on frivolous issues like samosa prices

In a sharp escalation of internal differences within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), senior leader Raghav Chadha responded with a strongly worded video message after he was removed as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. Chadha said that he is “Silenced, not defeated,” and questioned whether raising issues of public interest had become a crime within the party.

Notably, apart from removing him from the post, the party has also written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat asking that he not be allotted speaking time from AAP’s quota.

The decision was conveyed through a formal communication from AAP to the Upper House, proposing Ashok Mittal as the new deputy leader in Chadha’s place. AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, seven from Punjab and three from Delhi. Chadha, a founding member of the party since 2012 and one of its youngest parliamentarians, had been serving as deputy leader since 2023.

In his video message posted on social media (including Instagram and X), Chadha addressed the “aam aadmi” directly. “Silenced, not defeated,” he said. “Have I done something wrong? Whenever I talk, I only talk about problems faced by common people. Why would someone stop me from speaking and raising issues of public interest?”

He added: “Don’t mistake my silence for surrender. I’m a quiet river now, but I know how to rise into a flood.” He appealed to supporters to “stand by me the way you always have.”

Chadha’s message came after he his posted a video a montage showing him highlighting various issues in Parliament, such as the tax burden on the middle class, food adulteration, mobile data expiry issues, paternity leave, excess baggage charges and high snacks prices at airports, paper leaks etc.

However, the party has accused Chadha of misusing time allocated to AAP in frivolous issues like samosa prices. AAP’s national media in-charge, Anurag Dhanda, hit back sharply on X, accusing Chadha of shirking real national issues in favour of such non-serious matters. “We are Kejriwal’s soldiers. Fearlessness is our first identity,” Dhanda wrote in Hindi. He added, “In parliament, the party gets a little time to speak — in that we can either struggle to save the country or get samosas cheaper in the airport canteen.”

Dhanda cited specific instances where he claimed Chadha remained silent, the alleged arrest of hundreds of AAP workers by “BJP’s police” in Gujarat, refusal to sign a proposal against the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged denial of voting rights in West Bengal, and refusal to participate in party’s walkout in the House.

“For the last few years you have got scared, Raghav,” Dhanda said. “You hesitate to speak against Modi. You hesitate to speak on the real issues of the country. “

The removal comes amid reported internal rumblings in AAP, with Chadha apparently falling out of favour with the party’s top leadership. It is being speculated that he will leave AAP and join a major political party.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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