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In a direct attack on the Aam Aadmi Party following his removal as the party's Deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, AAP MP Raghav Chadha on Friday said his silence in Parliament should not be mistaken for defeat.
In a post on X, Chadha questioned the reasons behind being prevented from speaking in Parliament. He said he consistently raises issues affecting the common people and asked whether doing so amounts to any wrongdoing. "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?" "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," he added. Highlighting that he always raised issues of the public in Parliament, AAP MP said that his rights are being taken away, but they should not consider his silence as a 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," Chadha said. AAP MP emphasised that his interventions in Parliament focus on everyday concerns such as high airport food prices, challenges faced by delivery workers, food adulteration, toll and banking charges, taxation issues impacting content creators, and telecom practices like frequent recharges and lack of data rollover. "I talk about the problem of Zomato Blinkit delivery riders. I raise the issue of adulteration in food. I talk about the loot of toll plazas and bank charges. I even talk about the strike on content creators due to the burden of taxes on the middle class. I talk about how telecom companies make us recharge 13 times in 12 months. They do not give data rollover. They stop the incoming after the recharge is over," he said. He argued that these issues benefit the public and questioned how raising them could harm the party. Expressing disappointment over being silenced, he reiterated that his quietness should not be seen as weakness, adding that he would continue to stand with and speak for the people. "I raised all these issues in the Parliament. And after raising these issues, the common man of the country benefited. But how did that harm the Aam Aadmi Party? Why would anyone want to stop me from speaking? Why would anyone want to silence my voice? Anyway, you people give me unlimited love. Whenever I raise your issues, you support me, praise me, and encourage me. I want to say thank you to you. In the same way, hold my hand and support me. Do not leave me. I am with you. And I am for you," said Chadha. On Thursday, the Aam Aadmi Party sent an official letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat informing that Ashok Kumar Mittal will be the new Deputy Leader of AAP in the Upper House, the party stated. Mittal has replaced Raghav Chadha as the Deputy Leader of AAP in the House. Raghav Chadha has also been an MP since April 2022. He has made headlines on several occasions for raising public issues in Parliament. Last month, Raghav Chadha raised concerns over the practice of "sarpanch pati" or "panchayat pati," where women elected to reserved Panchayat seats often serve as figureheads while real power is exercised by their male relatives. He urged the government to ensure that women representatives in local bodies can exercise genuine authority as intended under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. (ANI)
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