Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: “Punjab is not a talking point for me. It is my commitment. It is my soul,” estranged AAP MP Raghav Chadha said on Sunday while countering the allegations leveled by the AAP’s Punjab unit leadership a day earlier that he failed to raise issues affecting the state in Parliament despite repeated communication.The slugfest started after Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab was removed by AAP as deputy leader of the party in the Upper House on Thursday. Since then both sides have been taking on each other.Chadha put out a video message on Sunday on X saying “To my colleagues in AAP who were forced to issue videos saying that “Raghav Chadha failed to raise Punjab’s issues in Parliament”, here is a small trailer…Picture Abhi Baaki Hai….,”He highlighted a wide range of issues that he has raised related to Punjab in the Upper House and dismissed the allegations being made against him as “baseless and maliciously motivated” and “directly contradicted by the official parliamentary record.”Chadha also issued a written statement. “One of the main allegations against me is that I did not raise the issue of Punjab’s pending funds from the Centre. This is entirely untrue. I categorically raised this demand on July 31 2024, and the record is available on Sansad TV,” Chadha said.Chadha said that he has raised the issue of pending RDF dues and spoken against the financial injustice being done to Punjab. He went on to list other issues ranging from alarming groundwater depletion crisis; the farmers’ crisis, including MSP concerns, rising input costs, and agrarian distress; need for greater support for Punjab’s agricultural economy; the drug menace and the need for a stronger institutional response and issues related to border state security among others.“My role as a MP has never been to indulge in noise, theatrics, or performative outrage. I entered Parliament to create impact, not to create ruckus,” he added.“No smear campaign can silence my voice or weaken my resolve. Truth will prevail. Facts will prevail. And every lie will stand exposed,” the RS MP warned.
