Aam Aadmi Party on Friday, issued a release stating that the party has declared the removal of Punjab Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha from the post of deputy leader as a “routine disciplinary action, while firmly pushing back against his claims.”
AAP leaders Atishi, Bhagwant Mann, others backed the party’s decision.
“Action was taken against Raghav Chadha for going against party whip; such changes are made by all parties,” said Punjab CM and AAP leader Bhagwant Singh Mann. He claimed that Chadha was “compromised.”
He explained that parties often reshuffle their leadership in Parliament from time to time – citing the time when he won the election for the first time, the ‘party made Dr. Gandhi the leader.’ He also said that ‘many times, in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, all opposition parties have to take decisions collectively’.
“If any individual does not support these collective decisions and goes against the party line, then it is against the party whip. If anyone goes against the party whip, action will be taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Delhi CM Atishi claimed that Raghav Chadha remained ‘silent out of fear of PM Modi’. “When Arvind Kejriwal was arrested & AAP workers were being lathi-charged on streets, even then Raghav Chadha remained silent out of fear of PM Modi,” said Atishi.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Thursday, 2 April – formally wrote to the Rajya Sabha secretariat seeking the removal of Raghav Chadha as its deputy leader in the Upper House.
Despite his removal from the leadership role, Chadha remains a member of the Rajya Sabha representing Punjab.
AAP leaders’ back action against Chadha – Who said what?
Besides Mann and Atishi, several other leaders– including AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjay Singh also lashed out at Chadha.
— Sanjay Singh claimed that although AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal taught its members “to fight fearlessly”, but “Raghav Chadha has remained silent on party and all crucial issues concerning Punjab.”
— Meanwhile Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Chadha has ‘not questioned PM Modi or BJP government for a long time.’ He further claimed that all opposition parties recently wanted to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner, but Raghav Chadha refused to sign it. “Whenever such issues arise where the opposition walks out, you do not walk out. For a long time, I have seen that you have not raised a single issue in the House where questions were asked of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP Government. How will such politics of fear continue?” he said.
— AAP MP Ashok Mittal, who replaces Chadha, has said that this is a “normal process” in the party.
“AAP is a party that functions democratically. Our party always tries to give different responsibilities to different people,” Mittal said. “Before Raghav ji, ND Gupta ji served as the Deputy Leader. Now, I have been appointed to this post, and tomorrow someone else will come,” he added.
— AAP National Media In-Charge Anurag Dhanda said that they are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal and fearlessness is their primary identity. “If someone is afraid of Modi, how will they fight for the country? The party gets very limited time to speak in Parliament. In that time, one can either fight to save the country or raise issues like cheaper samosas in airport canteens. Hundreds of our workers in Gujarat have been arrested by BJP’s police, did the honourable MP say anything in the House?” he said.
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