Amid rift with AAP, Raghav Chadha posts second video of issues his raised in Parliament

As a rift between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Raghav Chadha widens over allegedly the issued the Rajya Sabha MP raised in Parliament, the AAP leader has shared a video on his X handle. The video, captioned with a Tricolour emoji, shows a compilation of the issues Raghav Chadha raised in Rajya Sabha.

On Thursday, the AAP leadership removed Raghav Chadha as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that he was shying away from raising his voice against the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but instead engaging in “soft PR” by raising issues like samosa prices at airports during the allotted time in Rajya Sabha, while avoiding the real ones which are at stake.

However, Raghav Chadha quickly responded, saying he had been “silenced, not defeated.”

"Meri khamoshi ko meri haar mat samajh lena, main wo dariya hun jo waqt aane par sailab banta hai [Dont take my silence for my defeat, I am the river which turns into a devastating flood when time comes]," Raghav Chadha said as he read out the couplet for those who “snatched away his right to speak and silenced” him.

The AAP MP also said that he raised issues that affected common people, such as expensive food at airports, problems faced by food delivery riders, food adulteration, toll plazas charges, mobile data expiry, tax on the middle class, among others.

He said, “Anyway, you (common man) have continued to give me unlimited love. Whenever I have raised these issues, you have supported and appreciated me. I thank you for that. Please keep holding my hand like this and continue supporting me.”

Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Chadha failed to toe the party's line on several matters in Parliament and did not join opposition walkouts on key issues; he also criticised his absence during during crucial moments.

He said, “Whenever the Opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you [Raghav Chadha] did not participate. You did not raise issues concerning Punjab, from where you are elected, and you hid in a foreign country when former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested.”

Bharadwaj also pointed out that while opposition parties had moved a motion to impeach the Chief Election Commissioner, Chadha did not sign it and had not participated in certain opposition walkouts.

(With agency inputs)