New Delhi: Raghav Chadha hit back Friday morning after the Aam Aadmi Party dropped him as its Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, and said he would no longer be allowed to speak for it in Parliament.
"Whenever I get a chance to speak in Parliament I raise public issues. Maybe I raise topics not usually raised,,, but is raising public issues a crime? Have I committed a crime? Have I made a mistake? Have I done something wrong?" Chadha asked in a video message posted on X.
"I am asking this question because the AAP told the Secretariat to stop Raghav Chadda from speaking in Parliament," he said in his 'silenced, not defeated' message to the 'aam aadmi'.
Chadha's message followed a dramatic Thursday.
The drama began after sources told news agency PTI that Chadha - the AAP's MP from Punjab - had been dropped and the Rajya Sabha Secretariat requested to disallow him floor time.
Sources close to Chadha told NDTV the intention was to 'silence' him, and that he had been removed as the party's Deputy Leader so he could not assign himself any time to speak.
The development led to speculation over the future of Raghav Chadha - once seen as a top-rung leader and part of party boss Arvind Kejriwal's inner circle - in the Aam Aadmi Party.
The AAP has yet to explain why Chadha was dropped.
However, sources said his absence from key party activities and on the clean chit to Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia - in the liquor policy case - sparked speculation in the corridors of power.
Chadha, however, has been active raising key issues in the Rajya Sabha, including high food prices at airports, gig workers' rights, and traffic congestion in major cities.
In fact, hours after news he had been removed broke, Chadha posted a highlights reel on X showcasing these and other interventions on behalf of the 'aam aadmi'. The video contained no reference to the AAP or Kejriwal, but did contain an emoji - the 'nazar boncugu', a traditional Mediterranean and Turkish symbol designed to ward off bad luck, envy, and malicious stares.
Chadha, 37, has been associated with AAP since it was founded in 2012.
He first met Kejriwal during the final stages of the India Against Corruption campaign, when discussions were underway about transitioning into a political outfit.
Chadha went on to become the AAP's national spokesperson and its national treasurer.
In the 2020 Delhi election, he won the Rajinder Nagar seat and was appointed Vice Chairman of the Delhi Jal Board. In 2022, he was named as AAP's Rajya Sabha pick from Punjab.
Chadha was replaced by another of the party's Punjab MPs - Ashok Mittal.
Sanjay Singh was retained as its leader in the House.
Source: NDTV