The latest flashpoint came after Chadha’s removal as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, a move the party’s new deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ashok Mittal described as routine, but which triggered an unusually public exchange within AAP ranks.
Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj led the charge, questioning Chadha’s political approach and accusing him of hesitating to take on the government after Chadha said in a post on X, “Why would anyone want to stop me from speaking? Why would anyone want to silence my voice?” following his removal.
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“How can one do politics with this much fear?” Bharadwaj asked in a video posted on X, alleging that Chadha had, for a prolonged period, avoided raising issues critical of the Prime Minister or the BJP in the House.
He further claimed that Chadha did not align with opposition strategy during key moments. “When the opposition walks out on an important issue, you don’t,” Bharadwaj said, also alleging that Chadha refused to sign a motion seeking impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner.”We need to raise issues of Punjab, the place you have been voted from, while you are scared to raise those issues as well,” he said. He added that “you have been quiet on 140 AAP workers facing either an FIR or arrest in Gujarat over false cases.”
In a pointed remark, he said Chadha was not present in the country when Arvind Kejriwal was arrested, adding that the party expects its leaders to “raise issues fearlessly and look the BJP in the eye.”
Echoing similar concerns, after Bharadwaj’s comments, AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda took to social media and accused Chadha of prioritising “soft issues” over core political battles. “In Parliament, we get limited time—to either fight for the country or talk about making samosas cheaper,” he said, alleging that Chadha stayed back in the House when the opposition staged walkouts and had shown reluctance to confront the government.
Delhi Assembly opposition leader Atishi also took a hit at Raghav Chadha, saying he failed to act at a time when “democracy and the Constitution are being attacked.”
She further accused him of avoiding key issues, including the LPG crisis, claiming he “refuses to speak” and is “scared to speak against the BJP and PM Narendra Modi.” Warning of a possible political shift, Atishi added, “Many opposition leaders got scared and joined the BJP… Raghav Chadha could be next.”
Chadha’s Defence: ‘Silenced, Not Defeated’
The comments by AAP leaders come after Chadha said earlier today, in response to his removal as AAP’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader, that his parliamentary interventions have consistently focused on issues affecting ordinary citizens. “Whenever I get a chance to speak in Parliament, I raise public issues… But is raising public issues a crime?” he asked in a video message.
Framing his removal as an attempt to curb his voice, he added: “Don’t consider my silence as my defeat. I am that river that becomes a flood when the time comes.”
On Thursday, the party replaced him with Mittal as deputy leader in the Upper House, with Sanjay Singh confirming that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has been formally notified. Mittal, in an interview to PTI has maintained that the change is part of a routine rotation and denied any attempt to sideline Chadha.
What Chadha Has Been Raising in Parliament
Raghav Chadha has remained active in Parliament, raising a range of consumer, economic and governance-related issues in recent weeks.
He recently urged the government to expand affordable airport food services under the Udan Yatri Cafe initiative, highlighting accessibility issues for passengers. He also pushed for a “Right to Recall” mechanism, arguing that voters should have the power to remove underperforming elected representatives mid-term—an idea that sparked pushback from opposition members.
During the Budget debate, Chadha called for scrapping long-term capital gains tax on equities for individual investors and proposed statutory inflation-linked wage protections for workers. He also flagged concerns over foreign investor outflows, low public healthcare spending and suggested a blockchain-based land records system to reduce disputes.
“Long Term Capital Gains Tax on equities should be made nil in this country for individual investors… I would like the LTCG to be zero when STT is being raised,” Chadha said in Rajya Sabha in February.
On public health, Chadha raised alarm over widespread food adulteration, calling it a “raging health crisis” and urging stronger enforcement by food safety authorities, higher penalties and a recall mechanism for unsafe products. “From 2014-15 to 2025-26, 25 per cent of all samples tested were neutralised. God knows how many got sick, went to hospital, or lost their lives,” Chadha said.
Signs of a Deeper Rift
The current tensions come amid Chadha’s relative absence from key party events in recent months and his perceived distancing from the leadership. Once considered a close aide of Kejriwal and a key strategist for the party—especially in Punjab—Chadha is now the second AAP Rajya Sabha MP after Swati Maliwal to be seen at odds with the leadership.
With AAP holding 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, the developments signal not just an internal disagreement but a potentially significant shift in the party’s internal dynamics—playing out in full public view.
