Raised samosa issue in Parliament: AAP fires back after Raghav Chadha's attack

The rift within Aam Aadmi Party is now out in the open, with party MPs openly lashing out at Raghav Chadha for not speaking out against PM Modi. This comes a day after the party dropped Chadha as Rajya Sabha deputy leader.

In Short

• AAP attacks Raghav Chadha after his video against party leadership
• Accuses him of being afraid to speak against PM Modi
• Raghav Chadha was dropped as Rajya Sabha deputy leader

A day after Raghav Chadha’s demotion in the Rajya Sabha fuelled speculation of internal discord, the rift within the Aam Aadmi Party has now come into the open. Matters escalated when Chadha, 37, released a video accusing AAP of trying to silence him. The party reacted swiftly, alleging the MP was afraid to speak against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and had wasted his parliamentary time discussing samosas instead of pressing national issues.

"For the past few years, you have become afraid, Raghav. You are afraid to speak against Modi. You are afraid to raise the real issues of the country," AAP national media chief Anurag Dhanda said, signalling a deepening rift.

On Thursday, AAP dropped Raghav Chadha, MP from Punjab, as Rajya Sabha deputy leader and replaced him with Ashok Mittal.

Criticising Chadha’s conduct in Parliament, he said the party gets limited time to speak and must use it to raise critical national issues.

"In that time, we can either fight to save the country or talk about making samosas cheaper at airport canteens," he remarked.

He also listed out the number of times Chadha refused to stand with the party and took a different stand. Dhanda said when AAP workers were arrested in Gujarat, Chadha did not raise the issue in the House.

Dhanda said Chadha refused to sign a resolution against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and remained seated for PM's Parliament address even when other party members walked out.

"When the party walked out of the House, he remained seated to mark his attendance to Modi," Dhanda added.

AAP's Sanjay Singh also mounted attack on Chadha citing the issues listed by Dhanda and said Chadha never took a stand for the party.

"Whenever a motion regarding various national issues is introduced in Parliament, you do not sign it, you do not lend your support. You do not raise your voice against Modi. You remain silent on numerous issues concerning the public interest, even when party workers are beaten in Gujarat, you do not speak out," he said.

RAGHAV CHADHA'S VIDEO MESSAGE

Dhanda's sharp attack on Raghav Chadha came shortly after the AAP MP posted a video message on X, claiming he had been silenced by his own party but remained undefeated.

"Whenever I get a chance, I raise issues concerning the people in Parliament, including topics that are often overlooked. But is it an offence to talk about people's problems? Did I commit any crime?" Chadha said.

"The AAP has informed Parliament that I should not be given a chance to speak. I would like to tell them -- do not take my silence for defeat," he added.

On Thursday, AAP wrote to the Rajya Sabha secretariat seeking Raghav Chadha's removal as its deputy leader in the House, proposing Punjab MP Ashok Mittal as his successor.

The communication also urged that Chadha should not be allotted speaking time under the party's quota in the Upper House.

Once seen as a close aide of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and counted among the youngest parliamentarians, Chadha had held a prominent role in the party, especially in Punjab and during its tenure in Delhi.

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