Dhanda accused Chadha of being “scared” over the past few years and hesitating to speak out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a post on ‘X’, Dhanda stated, “We are Kejriwal’s soldiers. Fearlessness is our first identity. If someone fears Modi, will they fight for the country? In Parliament, the party gets just a little time to speak–in that, we can either struggle to save the nation or push to make samosas cheaper in the airport canteen.”

Dhanda further alleged that Chadha refused to sign the party’s proposal against the Chief Election Commissioner in Parliament and did not speak out when AAP workers were arrested by Gujarat police. “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. When a proposal against the CEC came up in the House, Brother Sahib refused to sign it. When the party walked out of the House, they stayed back to mark attendance for Modi Ji. 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,” he added.

Earlier on the same day, Chadha addressed his removal in a post on ‘X’, stating that his silence in Parliament should not be seen as defeat. He questioned the decision to prevent him from speaking and emphasised that he consistently raises issues affecting the public. “Whenever I get a chance to speak in the Parliament, I raise public issues. And perhaps I raise topics that are not usually raised in the Parliament. But is raising public issues a crime? Have I committed a crime? Have I made a mistake? Have I done something wrong?” he said.

Chadha also claimed, “AAP has told the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that Raghav Chadha should be stopped from speaking in the Parliament. Yes, the AAP has informed the Parliament that Raghav Chadha should not be given a chance to speak in the Parliament.”

He asked that his silence not be considered defeat, declaring, “I am that river which becomes a flood when the time comes.”

The MP highlighted the public concerns he raises in Parliament, including high airport food prices, challenges faced by delivery workers, food adulteration, toll and banking charges, taxation affecting content creators, and telecom industry practices such as frequent recharges and lack of data rollover. “I talk about the problem of Zomato Blinkit delivery riders. I raise the issue of adulteration in food. I talk about the loot of toll plazas and bank charges. I even talk about the strike on content creators due to the burden of taxes on the middle class. I talk about how telecom companies make us recharge 13 times in 12 months. They do not give data rollover. They stop the incoming after the recharge is over,” he said, asking how raising these issues could harm the party.

On Thursday, the Aam Aadmi Party sent an official letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat notifying that Ashok Kumar Mittal has been appointed as the new Deputy Leader of AAP in the Upper House, replacing Raghav Chadha. Chadha has been an MP since April 2022 and has previously raised various public issues in Parliament. Last month, he highlighted the issue of “sarpanch pati” or “panchayat pati”, where women elected to reserved local body seats often serve as figureheads while male relatives hold actual power. He urged the government to ensure women representatives in local bodies can exercise genuine authority as provided by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.