Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI: A day after the Aam Aadmi Party removed Raghav Chadha as its Rajya Sabha deputy leader, the MP launched a pointed attack on the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, asserting that his silence in Parliament should not be mistaken for defeat.Once seen as a close aide of Kejriwal, Chadha, without directly naming individuals, raised questions over the party’s high command, especially after AAP requested the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to not allot him speaking time in the House.Taking to social media, Chadha shared a video clip shot against the backdrop of the old Parliament building, titled “Silenced, not defeated,” which he described as his “message to aam aadmi.”He said in the video, “Whenever I get a chance to speak in the Parliament, I raise public issues. And perhaps I raise topics that are not usually raised in the Parliament. But is raising public issues a crime? Have I committed a crime? Have I made a mistake? Have I done something wrong?”“AAP has told the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that Raghav Chadha should be stopped from speaking in the Parliament. Yes, the AAP has informed the Parliament that Raghav Chadda should not be given a chance to speak in the Parliament,” he added.In recent years, the Punjab-elected Rajya Sabha member had built a strong public profile by consistently raising “public issues” in Parliament, ranging from gig workers’ rights and rising mobile recharge costs to paternity leave and pricing of eatery menus at airports.Chadha entered politics with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party, an unconventional political startup that quickly grew into a national force. Much of the momentum behind Arvind Kejriwal’s emergence was driven directly by the Jan Lokpal movement led by Anna Hazare.As AAP expanded and consolidated its position, forming three successive governments in Delhi, including two with sweeping majorities, Chadha’s stature within the party also rose. He became one of Kejriwal’s trusted lieutenants and a prominent public face of the party.When AAP pushed beyond Delhi and made a decisive breakthrough in Punjab, Chadha was entrusted with key organisational responsibilities. He played a significant role in the party’s expansion and in the formation of the government now led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
