AAP moves to remove Raghav Chadha as Rajya Sabha deputy leader, gag him in the House

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has urged the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to remove Raghav Chadha as deputy leader, not give him time to speak, and appoint another leader to the post.

According to sources cited by PTI, the party has proposed appointing MP Ashok Mittal as its deputy leader in the Upper House, replacing Chadha.

The party has 10 members in the Upper House currently, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.

Raghav Chadha’s association with the Aam Aadmi Party dates back to its inception in 2012, when he worked with Arvind Kejriwal on the Delhi Lokpal Bill. He rose rapidly within the party to become a national spokesperson and its youngest treasurer following the 2015 Delhi polls.

While he was defeated by Ramesh Bidhuri in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi, he bounced back by winning the Rajendra Nagar seat in the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections and later served as vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board.

Chadha entered the Rajya Sabha in 2022 as its youngest member at 33 and has since been actively involved in the AAP’s parliamentary strategy and organisational activities, working closely with leaders like Manish Sisodia and Bhagwant Mann. He has also been raising important issues like safeguarding the right of gig workers, high food costs at airports, paid paternity leaves, and other topics, which have been lauded across the country.

Since the past few months, there have been speculations that ties between Chadha and his party have been strained. This was further fuelled after the Rajya Sabha MP did not react publicly after a court recently discharged AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and others in the Delhi excise policy case.