Kamal Ghorui
Raghav Chadha’s outburst against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership does not come as a surprise. For quite some time now, Chadha, who was once considered a close confidant of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, was not on the same page with the party’s top leadership. Raghav Chadha’s growing distance from AAP was amplified by his silence and also his absence from some of the biggest moments for the party, including the recent court relief for Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.The breaking pointOn Thursday, this internal rift, which had been brewing for almost a year, finally exploded as AAP “demoted” Raghav Chadha and removed him from the post of deputy leader in Rajya Sabha. But the real sting was not just the replacement, it was AAP’s request to Rajya Sabha secretariat that Chadha should no longer be allotted speaking time from party’s official quota.A day later, Raghav reacted strongly to the party’s move triggering an open war of words. In a strongly-worded video message, Raghav questioned the party’s decision and asserted that he had been “silenced, not defeated”.“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? 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,” Raghav Chadha said in the video, which had a series of short clips drawn from his recent speeches in Rajya Sabha.
What Raghav Chadha said
Chadha also attacked the party leadership over “demotion” and threw an open dare: “Do not take my silence as my defeat.I am like that river which can turn into a flood when the time comes.”‘Afraid, compromised’: How ‘soldiers’ of Kejriwal hit backHours after Raghav’s broadside, the AAP leaders hit back with full force calling their colleague “afraid and compromised.”Delhi AAP President 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.“Whenever the Opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you (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,” Bhardwaj said.“We all are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, the Centre doesn’t care about soft PR or talking about samosas at airport canteens when bigger issues are at stake. Because a small party has very limited time in Parliament, instead of raising trivial issues, it is more important to raise the big issues of the country,” he added.Referring to the impeachment motion submitted by opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Bharadwaj said Chadha refused to sign it.
What AAP said
“Whenever there is an issue on which the opposition walks out, you do not walk out. For a long time now, I have seen that you haven’t raised any issue in the House where you questioned the Prime Minister or the Bharatiya Janata Party government,” he said, further asking how the “fear politics” will work.Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann slammed said he believes Raghav Chadha is “compromised”, pointing out that he has gone against the party whip.Mann said that if Chadha is unwilling to speak on issues like the “deletion” of votes in West Bengal, stage a walkout from Parliament on important issues or raise a voice against the arrest of several AAP volunteers and leaders in Gujarat, then it is breaking the party line and going against the party whip.On Chadha’s remark about being “silenced”, Mann said, if there is a party line taken on any issue, like in Gujarat, where 160 AAP volunteers and leaders have been booked, and if someone wishes to speak, there are issues such as MSP, GST and other issues.“But, if instead of speaking on those, someone raises issues of samosa rates, pizza delivery, won’t you doubt that the person (Chadha) is speaking from some other station?” he said.
Raghav Chadha’s AAP journey so far
AAP leader Anurag Dhanda said Chadha has been “scared for the past few years” and has hesitated to speak against PM Narendra Modi.“In Gujarat, our hundreds of workers have been arrested by BJP’s police — will the honourable MP say something in the House? In West Bengal, the right to vote is being snatched away… For the past few years, you’ve been scared, Raghav. You hesitate to speak against Modi. You hesitate to speak on the real issues of the country,” Dhanda said.Delhi leader of opposition (LoP) and AAP leader Atishi also questioned Raghav Chadha for failing to raise issues concerning commoners amidst a national crisis and a significant shortage of LPG gas. She alleged that Raghav Chadha was hesitant to support the impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).Atishi posted a video on X and said, “Some questions I have for Raghav Chadha. Today, our nation is passing through an immense crisis. There is a grave threat to our Constitution, the West Bengal election is being stolen through the blatant misuse of the Election Commission, yet you are not raising any questions; why are you seemingly afraid to speak out against it?”Shifting the focus to economic grievances, Atishi emphasised, “Today, the most significant crisis facing the common man is the shortage of LPG gas. You are an influential person, so perhaps you do not face these hardships, but a common citizen is struggling even to cook a meal for their child.”Where was Raghav Chadha?The cracks between Chadha and AAP didn’t just appear yesterday; they’ve been widening for nearly two years. One of the biggest irritants for AAP appears to have been Chadha’s absence during critical moments.The first visible signs of a possible rift emerged in March 2024, when Kejriwal was arrested in connection with the excise policy case. Chadha was notably absent as he was in London undergoing treatment for an eye condition. His prolonged absence during the party’s darkest hour became a major talking point.While leaders like Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia were going to jail, Chadha’s absence from crucial press conferences and protest sites did not go unnoticed.Bharadwaj, in his video message, specifically highlighted Chadha’s absence, accusing him of staying away during the party’s crisis.“All our leaders were in jail… You were not in the country even at that time; you went and hid somewhere,” he said.Last month, when a Delhi court gave major relief to Kejriwal and Sisodia, the AAP headquarters was electric with celebration. Raghav Chadha, however, remained conspicuously silent — no tweet, no visit, and no presence at the press conference.The Punjab factorChadha, who was once dubbed as the architect of AAP’s 2022 win in Punjab, Chadha was gradually sidelined from the state affairs. AAP had then won 92 of the 117 assembly seats. Reports suggested that his ‘Delhi-style’ functioning did not sit well with the state leadership and chief minister Bhagwant Mann. Many felt he was acting as a “super CM”, which eventually led to him being pulled back from Punjab politics.Punjab goes to polls next year and for AAP, which has already lost Delhi, a defeat in the state would mean that the party would be left with no government. Clipping Raghav Chadha’s wings ahead of the next year polls could be part of AAP strategy to ensure that he is not used by its rivals during the elections.Targeted for raising ‘aam aadmi’ issuesChadha, on the other hand, claims he is being targeted for doing exactly what the party’s name suggests — raising issues of the ‘aam aadmi’.When he was replaced as Rajya Sabha deputy leader, he did not issue a statement but instead posted a video compilation of issues he had raised in Parliament.In the Rajya Sabha, Chadha has largely avoided direct political attacks and instead focused on issues with public connect: middle-class taxation, data rollover, gig workers’ rights, paternity leave, menstrual hygiene, airline baggage rules, and the “sarpanch pati” issue.He even briefly worked as a delivery partner to highlight gig economy concerns.What next for Raghav Chadha?Raghav Chadha may be on his way out of the Aam Aadmi Party. Today’s outbursts from both sides suggests that the differences have reached a point of no return and the bridge may already have been burnt. If Chadha does decide to quit, he will join a long list of leaders who started off with Kejriwal in 2012, but eventually fell apart. He will be walking the path already taken by leaders like Kailash Gahlot, Raaj Kumar Anand, Sushil Kumar Rinku, H.S. Phoolka, Rajesh Gupta, Vandana Gaur, Rohit Mehraulia, and Girish Soni.
AAP’s Internal Rift Timeline
Interestingly, both the BJP and the Congress have reacted in their own ways to the crisis within the AAP.Congress leader Udit Raj questioned Raghav Chadha’s indirect jab at the Aam Aadmi Party. Challenging Chadha’s stance, Raj asserted that there should be “absolutely no silence” on the matter, noting that “silence makes no sense at all” over this particular issue.“There should be absolutely no silence here. And on this particular issue, silence makes no sense at all. If Raghav Chadha is in politics–and he does raise public issues–then he ought to clarify the matter. If the party has done nothing wrong, he should say so plainly. He must also answer this: who silenced him?” said Raj.The Congress has huge stakes in Punjab, a state it lost to AAP in 2022. The grand-old-party would be happy to see a weakened and divided AAP as it gears up to reclaim the state in 2027. But the focus perhaps will be more on the BJP, which was quick to launch a sharp attack on AAP. BJP’s Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva accused Arvind Kejriwal of running the party in an “authoritarian” manner.“Removing the Deputy Leader of the Rajya Sabha is a political party’s internal decision, and any party has the freedom to make such decisions. However, the way the Aam Aadmi Party instructed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that Raghav Chadha should not be allowed to speak, and that he should not be given time to speak, is undemocratic,” the Delhi BJP president said.Taking a direct swipe at Kejriwal, Sachdeva alleged that the AAP Chief is intolerant of dissent, both within and outside his party. “This reflects authoritarianism on the part of Arvind Kejriwal, because he is a fearful and weak person. He does not like any opposition — whether within his own party or outside — especially those who have the courage to speak out,” Sachdeva said.AAP has already accused the BJP of “actively promoting” Raghav Chadha. Dropping hints of what may follow, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that Raghav Chadha “consistently hangs back” whenever the party wants to raise issues against the Central government in Parliament.“The Election Commission appears to be working completely in tandem with the Central Government. Whose duty is it to raise a voice against this? Is it not the duty of the Members of Parliament?. Whenever such issues need to be raised in Parliament, Raghav Chadha consistently hangs back. He does not even want to mention the Central Government… The BJP actively promotes Raghav Chadha. His supporters amplify his social media posts. Why do they do this? The Parliament should serve as a forum for debating serious issues and finding resolutions to them… If you succumb to fear, your political career is effectively over,” the AAP leader said.The BJP, after parting ways with the Akalis in Punjab has been desperately trying to spread its base in the state. It has already coopted several senior leaders from the Congress, including former state chief minister Capt Amrinder Singh. It will be interesting to see if the saffron party will be open to any future association with Raghav Chadha in case the AAP leader decides to dump his party and start a new political innings.
