Raghav ChaddhaThe resentment against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership is not surprising. For some time now, Chadha, who was once considered a close confidant of the AAP supremo, Arvind KejriwalThere was no consensus with the top leadership of the party. Raghav Chadha’s growing distance from AAP was heightened by his silence and his absence at some of the party’s biggest moments, including the recent relief granted to Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia from the court.breaking pointOn Thursday, this internal rift, which had been brewing for almost a year, finally erupted when AAP “demoted” Raghav Chadha and removed him from the post of deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. But the real sting was not just the replacement, it was AAP’s request to the Rajya Sabha secretariat that Chadha should no longer be allotted speaking time from the party’s official quota.A day later, Raghav reacted strongly to the party’s move leading to an open war of words. In a strongly worded video message, Raghav questioned the party’s decision and said he had been “silenced, not defeated”.Raghav Chadha said in the video, “Whenever I get a chance, I raise people’s issues in Parliament, including topics that are often ignored. But is it a crime to talk about people’s problems? Have I committed any crime? AAP has informed Parliament that I should not be given a chance to speak. I want to tell them not to consider my silence as a defeat.”
What did Raghav Chadha say?
Chadha also attacked the party leadership over the “demotion” and issued an open challenge: “Don’t take my silence as my defeat.I am like a river which can turn into a flood when the time comes.”‘Got scared, compromised’: How Kejriwal’s ‘cops’ hit back!Hours after Raghav’s sweeping statement, AAP leaders hit back with full force, calling their colleague “scared and compromised”.Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that Chadha failed to follow the party line on several issues in Parliament and did not join the opposition’s walkout on key issues.Bhardwaj said, “Whenever the opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you (Chadha) did not participate. You did not raise issues related to Punjab, from where you are elected, and when former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested, you went into hiding abroad.”“We are all Arvind Kejriwal’s soldiers, the Center does not care about soft PR or talking about samosas in the airport canteen when bigger issues are at stake. Since a small party has very limited time in Parliament, it is more important to raise the major issues of the country rather than raising small issues.”Referring to the impeachment motion presented by opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Bhardwaj said Chadha refused to sign it.
What did AAP say?
He further said, “Whenever there is an issue on which the opposition walks out, you do not walk out. For a long time I have seen that you have not raised any issue in the House where you have questioned the Prime Minister or the Bharatiya Janata Party government.” He further asked how the “politics of fear” would work.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said he believed Raghav Chadha had “compromised”, indicating that he had gone against the party whip.Mann said if Chadha is not willing to speak on issues like “deletion” of votes in West Bengal, walkout from Parliament on important issues or raise voice against the arrest of several AAP volunteers and leaders in Gujarat, then it is breaking the party line and going against the party whip.On Chadha’s comment on “silencing”, Mann said, if there is a party line on any issue, like in Gujarat, where 160 AAP volunteers and leaders have been booked, and if anyone wants to speak, then there are MSP, GST and other issues.“But, if instead of speaking on them, someone raises the issue of samosa rates, pizza delivery, wouldn’t you suspect that the person (Chadha) is speaking from some other station?” He said.
Raghav Chaddha’s AAP journey so far
AAP leader Anurag Dhanda said that Chadha has been scared for the last few years and is hesitant to speak against PM Narendra Modi.Dhanda said, “In Gujarat, hundreds of our workers have been arrested by the BJP police – will the honorable MP say something in the House? In West Bengal, the right to vote is being taken away… For the last few years, you have been scared, Raghav. You hesitate to speak against Modi. You hesitate to speak on the real issues of the country.”Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Delhi and AAP leader Atishi also questioned Raghav Chadha for failing to raise issues related to common people amid the national crisis and acute shortage of LPG gas. He alleged that Raghav Chadha was hesitant in supporting the impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).Atishi posted a video onFocusing on economic grievances, Atishi asserted, “Today, the biggest crisis facing the common man is the shortage of LPG gas. You are an influential person, so maybe you don’t face these difficulties, but a common citizen is struggling even to cook food for his child.”Where was Raghav Chaddha?The rift between Chadha and you did not appear just yesterday; They have been widening for almost two years. It seems that the biggest problem for you has been Chadha’s absence at crucial moments.The first clear sign of a possible rift emerged in March 2024, when Kejriwal was arrested in the excise policy case. Chadha was notably absent as he was undergoing treatment for his eye ailment in London. His prolonged absence became a major talking point during the party’s worst times.While leaders like Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia were going to jail, Chadha’s absence from important press conferences and protest sites went unnoticed.Bhardwaj in his video message particularly highlighted Chadha’s absence and accused him of staying away during the party’s crisis.He said, “All our leaders were in jail… you were not in the country even at that time, you went and hid somewhere.”Last month, when a Delhi court gave a major relief to Kejriwal and Sisodia, the AAP headquarters was filled with celebration. However, Raghav Chadha remained conspicuously silent – no tweet, no tour, and no appearance at the press conference.punjab factorChadha, once touted as the architect of AAP’s 2022 victory in Punjab, has been gradually sidelined from state affairs. Then AAP had won 92 out of 117 assembly seats. Reports have revealed that his ‘Delhi style’ functioning did not go down well with the state leadership and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Many felt that he was acting as a “Super CM”, which eventually led to his withdrawal from Punjab politics.Elections are due in Punjab next year and for AAP, which has already lost Delhi, a defeat in the state would mean the party would be left with no government. Clipping Raghav Chadha ahead of next year’s elections could be part of AAP’s strategy to ensure that he is not used by its rivals during the elections.Targeted for raising issues of ‘common man’Chadha, on the other hand, claims that he is being targeted for doing exactly what the party’s name suggests – raising the issues of the ‘common man’.When he was replaced as Deputy Leader of the Rajya Sabha, he did not issue any statement but posted a video compilation of issues raised in Parliament.In the Rajya Sabha, Chadha has largely avoided direct political attacks and instead focused on issues with public engagement: middle-class taxation, data rollover, gig workers’ rights, paternity leave, menstrual hygiene, airline baggage rules and the “sarpanch husband” issue.He even worked as a delivery person for a while to highlight gig economy concerns.What next for Raghav Chaddha?Raghav Chadha may be out of Aam Aadmi Party. Today’s outburst from both sides shows that differences have reached a point of no return and the bridge may already be burnt. If Chadha decides to step down, he will join the long list of leaders who started out with Kejriwal in 2012 but eventually parted ways. He will follow the path already adopted by leaders like Kailash Gehlot, Raj Kumar Anand, Sushil Kumar Rinku, HS Phoolka, Rajesh Gupta, Vandana Gaur, Rohit Mehraulia and Girish Soni.
Timeline of AAP’s internal rift
Interestingly, both the BJP and the Congress have reacted to the crisis within AAP in their own ways.Congress leader Udit Raj raised questions on Raghav Chadha’s indirect attack on Aam Aadmi Party. Challenging Chadha’s stance, Raj insisted that there should be “absolutely no silence” on the matter, noting that “silence makes no sense” on this particular issue.“There should be absolutely no silence here. And there is no point in silence on this particular issue. If Raghav Chadha is in politics – and he raises public issues – then he should clarify on the matter. If the party has not done anything wrong then they should say it clearly. He will also have to answer: Who silenced him?” Raj said.Congress has a big stake in Punjab, a state it lost to AAP in 2022. The grand old party will be happy to see a weak and divided AAP as it looks to recapture the state in 2027. But the focus will probably be more on the BJP, which immediately launched a scathing attack on you. BJP’s Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva accused Arvind Kejriwal of running the party in an “authoritarian” manner.The Delhi BJP president said, “Removing the Rajya Sabha deputy leader is an internal decision of a political party, and any party has the freedom to take such decisions. However, the way the Aam Aadmi Party instructed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that Raghav Chadha should not be allowed to speak, and should not be given time to speak, is undemocratic.”Taking direct aim at Kejriwal, Sachdeva alleged that the AAP chief is intolerant of dissent both within and outside his party. Sachdeva said, “This shows the authoritarianism of Arvind Kejriwal, because he is a coward and a weak person. He does not like any opposition – whether within his own party or outside – especially from those who have the courage to speak.”AAP has already accused BJP of “actively promoting” Raghav Chadha. You leaders are giving indications of what may happen next. -Saurabh Bhardwaj Alleged that Raghav Chadha “constantly dodges” whenever the party wants to raise issues against the central government in Parliament.“It appears that the Election Commission is completely working in collusion with the Central Government. Whose duty is it to raise voice against this? Is it not the duty of MPs? Whenever such issues need to be raised in Parliament, Raghav Chadha constantly takes a back seat. He does not even want to mention the Central Government… BJP actively promotes Raghav Chadha. His supporters exaggerate his social media posts. Why do they do this? “Parliament should serve as a forum to debate serious issues and find solutions… If you succumb to fear, your political career will effectively be over,” the AAP leader said.After separating from the Akalis in Punjab, BJP is trying its best to expand its base in the state. It has already taken on board several senior Congress leaders, including former state chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh. It will be interesting to see whether the saffron party will be open to any future collaboration with Raghav Chadha if the AAP leader decides to leave his party and start a new political innings.
