The Aam Aadmi Party has launched a sharp public attack on its own Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, signalling a deepening rift within the party.
Once seen as a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal, Chadha has come under fire after being removed as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and replaced by Ashok Mittal. Party leaders have accused him of failing to raise “real issues” and of being reluctant to criticise Narendra Modi.
The row escalated after Chadha alleged that the party had sought to prevent him from speaking in Parliament. Calling the move an attempt to “silence” him, he questioned why raising public issues had upset the leadership and declared, “I am silenced, not defeated.” His decision to remove AAP from his social media bio has further fuelled speculation about a possible exit.
Senior AAP leaders have since gone on the offensive. Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chadha of focusing on “soft PR” instead of pressing national concerns, while Atishi questioned his silence on issues like the LPG crisis and alleged voter concerns. Bhagwant Mann went further, claiming Chadha was “compromised” and had failed to back the party during key moments.
Other leaders, including Sanjay Singh and Anurag Dhanda, also criticised him for not supporting party protests and for skipping key political battles, including during Kejriwal’s arrest.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has seized on the infighting to target AAP leadership. BJP figures such as Virendra Sachdeva and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri have praised Chadha for raising public issues while accusing Kejriwal of sidelining capable leaders.
The controversy has sparked speculation about Chadha’s political future, including rumours of a possible switch to the BJP — though party leaders have dismissed such claims. For now, the episode has turned an internal disagreement into a full-blown public confrontation, raising fresh questions about unity within AAP.
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