Congress leader Udit Raj has called on Raghav Chadha to address the circumstances surrounding his removal as the Aam Aadmi Party's Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, urging transparency from both Chadha and the party.
Speaking on Friday, Raj criticised Chadha's indirect comments about the Aam Aadmi Party following his removal from the position the previous day. “There should be absolutely no silence here. And on this particular issue, silence makes no sense at all,” Raj said.
He added, “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?”
The Aam Aadmi Party had sent an official letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Thursday, announcing Ashok Kumar Mittal as the new Deputy Leader of the party in the Upper House. Mittal has replaced Chadha in the role.
Responding to his removal, Chadha stated on Friday that his silence in Parliament should not be interpreted as defeat. On social media platform X, he questioned why he was being prevented from speaking and alleged that the AAP leadership had formally instructed Parliament to deny him speaking opportunities during proceedings.
Chadha said, “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 further 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 Chadda should not be given a chance to speak in the Parliament.”
Highlighting that he consistently raised public concerns, Chadha cautioned against interpreting his silence as defeat. “And the people who took away my right to speak in the Parliament today, silenced me. I want to say something to them, too. Do not consider my silence as my defeat. Do not consider my silence as my defeat. I am that river which becomes a flood when the time comes,” he said.
Raghav Chadha has served as a Member of Parliament since April 2022 and has frequently been noted for bringing public issues to the parliamentary floor.