A political disagreement has emerged within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after its Punjab MP Raghav Chadha was removed as the party's Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week. The party also decided that he should not be given time to speak in the House under AAP's quota.
Following this, Chadha released two video messages over two days-one addressing the general public and another directed at his party, responding to the allegations made against him. Despite the party's action, he has continued to express his views publicly through social media platform X.
In his response, Chadha said a planned effort was being made to target him. He claimed that similar language and repeated points indicated coordination behind the allegations.
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"Since yesterday, a planned campaign has been run against me, using identical language, identical points, and identical accusations. This is not a coincidence but a coordinated effort. At first, I thought I should not respond, but then I felt that if a lie is repeated many times, people may start believing it. So I decided to respond," he said.
He further stated that the allegations had come from within his own party.
Allegation One: Not Joining Walkouts
The first allegation made by AAP is that Chadha does not participate in Opposition walkouts in Parliament and remains seated instead.
Rejecting this, Chadha termed the claim false and challenged the party to provide proof.
मैं बोलना नहीं चाहता था, मगर चुप रहता तो बार-बार दोहराया गया झूठ भी सच लगने लगता।
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) April 4, 2026
Three Allegations. Zero Truth.
My Response: pic.twitter.com/tPdjp04TLt
"This is completely false - a clear lie. I challenge anyone to show even one instance when the Opposition walked out and I did not join them. Parliament has CCTV cameras everywhere; the footage can be checked to establish the truth," he said.
Allegation Two: Refusal to Sign Impeachment Motion
The second allegation is that Chadha refused to sign a motion seeking the impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Responding to this, Chadha denied being asked to sign the motion.
"This is also incorrect. No leader from AAP asked me, either formally or informally, to sign this motion. There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, and six or seven of them also did not sign it, so why am I being singled out?" he said.
He also questioned why the issue had become a matter of controversy, noting that the required number of signatures for the motion could be met without his participation.
"Why is all the blame being placed on me? The motion needs 50 signatures in the Rajya Sabha, and there are 105 opposition MPs, so the required number could easily be reached. Why is there so much noise over this?" he said.
The motion referred to relates to allegations made by Opposition parties in March against the poll body chief, accusing him of favouring the ruling BJP during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Notices submitted in Parliament listed seven charges as grounds for removal under "proved misbehaviour".
Allegation Three: Avoiding Major Issues
The third allegation against Chadha is that he has become "scared" and is raising less important issues in Parliament.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised him, saying MPs from a small party should focus on significant national matters.
"We are all soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal ji, and we have learnt only one thing: 'jo dar gaya samjho mar gaya' (those who are afraid are as good as dead). Because a small party has limited time in Parliament, it is important to raise major national issues," Bharadwaj said.
In response, Chadha said his role in Parliament is to raise public concerns, not create disruptions.
"I did not go to Parliament to create chaos, shout, or damage property. I went there to speak for the people and raise their issues," he said.
He listed multiple topics he claimed to have addressed, including GST, income tax, water issues in Punjab, air quality in Delhi, government schools, public healthcare, railway passengers' concerns, menstrual health, unemployment, and inflation.
"What issue did I not raise? I spoke on everything-from GST and Income Tax to water issues in Punjab and air pollution in Delhi. I also raised concerns about government schools, healthcare, railway passengers, menstrual health, unemployment, and inflation," he said.
Chadha urged people to review his parliamentary work over the past four years.
"I entered Parliament to make an impact, not to create noise," he said.
He also said he represented taxpayers and would respond to all allegations made against him.
"I went there to raise the issues of taxpayers, whose money runs this institution. To those making false allegations against me, I want to say that every lie will be exposed and every question will be answered. I am hurt, and therefore I will respond strongly," he said, ending his message with "Jai Hind".
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