Raghav Chadha removed as AAP Rajya Sabha deputy leader; party asks House not to allot him speaking time
The Aam Aadmi Party has removed raghav chadha as its Rajya Sabha deputy leader and asked the House not to allot him speaking time. The party has named Ashok Mittal as the new deputy leader and has sent a letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat informing the change. The move, disclosed on Thursday, drew criticism from political opponents and prompted debate about the party’s internal discipline.
Raghav Chadha removed as deputy leader
The Aam Aadmi Party notified the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that raghav chadha will no longer serve as the party’s deputy leader in the Upper House and has requested that the House not allot him time to speak. Ashok Mittal has been appointed as the party’s new deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, and the party formalised the change through written communication with the Secretariat. The AAP’s parliamentary strength in the Rajya Sabha stands at ten members, comprising seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
Immediate reactions from political figures
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva called the replacement a reflection of Arvind Kejriwal’s anarchy, saying that Chadha has been treated poorly after distancing himself from party leadership. Sachdeva said that first it was another AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Swati Maliwal, and now raghav chadha who are apparently facing ill-treatment by what he described as a weak leadership.
Raghav Chadha’s recent interventions in Parliament had put him at the centre of national debate: during a discussion on the Appropriation Bill (No. 2) on March 24, he urged the government to extend relief to retail investors, saying the West Asia conflict had triggered a sharp erosion of investor wealth. Chadha had argued the episode was a “Black Swan event” and said the conflict was not “our war” while stressing its spillover effect on Indian markets and retail investors.
What’s next for the party and the Rajya Sabha
With Ashok Mittal set to take over as deputy leader, the AAP’s Rajya Sabha bench will operate under changed parliamentary leadership while the party’s written notification to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat awaits procedural acceptance on the House’s part. Political opponents have signalled continued scrutiny of the party’s internal decisions, and the handling of speaking rights for members is likely to remain a contested issue in the Upper House. Observers within the political debate will watch whether the Secretariat acts on the party’s request to restrict speaking time for the former deputy leader and how the new leadership coordinates the party’s contributions in upcoming sittings.
As developments continue, raghav chadha’s next public moves and any formal response from him or the AAP leadership will shape the immediate trajectory of this dispute.
