The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking the removal of Raghav Chadha as the party's Deputy Leader in the House, sources said on Thursday.
Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal from Punjab is likely to be appointed as the new Deputy Leader, they added. After becoming the youngest Rajya Sabha MP in 2022, the 37-year-old leader became the party’s leader in the Upper House in 2023, replacing Sanjay Singh.
The party's letter also states that Chadha—who is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab—should not be allotted time for speaking in the House from the AAP's quota, news agency PTI said in a report.
The Aam Aadmi Party has not officially revealed the reason behind this decision. A Chartered Accountant by profession, the AAP sent him to the Rajya Sabha two years into his term as an MLA and Vice Chairman of the Delhi Jal Board.
Some reports suggest that Chadha is "facing the music" for alleged indiscipline and for not adhering to the party line. There were no notable statements from Chadha after Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia’s recent discharge in connection with the liquor excise policy-linked money laundering case, the reports pointed out. He was also absent from the party office when Kejriwal later arrived to address a press conference.
Regarding speculation that Raghav Chadha will join the BJP before the Punjab elections, Sanjay Singh stated that he does not believe this to be true. He claimed that should Raghav do so, he would be the first to oppose him. Sanjay Singh said, "If you are within a party, within a family, then the internal problems will be resolved through discussions. If the matter reaches that point, then we will see it through."
Last week, AAP national spokesperson Sanjay Singh was quizzed by the national media over speculation that Raghav Chadha was considering a switch to the rival BJP ahead of the Punjab elections. Sanjay Singh stated that he does not believe so. "If you are within a party, within a family, then the internal problems will be resolved through discussions. If the matter reaches that point, then we will see it through."
Raghav Chadha once enjoyed incredible influence in the Punjab unit of the AAP and was made an advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. His interventions were reportedly resented by Punjab leaders, and the tables turned later, with CM Mann becoming the undisputed leader of the AAP camp in the state.
The AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
