Raghav Chadha, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP and once Arvind Kejriwal’s blue-eyed boy, came under attack from his fellow party leaders, who accused him of “being afraid of Prime Minister Modi” and not performing
in line with the party’s policies.
Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP, was dropped from the post of Deputy Leader in the upper house. However, his rift with the party had long been speculated. The reason? His absence from key party events had fueled buzz about his role in the AAP.
‘Silenced, Not Defeated’
After being dropped as the deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Raghav Chadha broke his silence on Friday. He accused the party of attempting to “silence him” for raising public issues in the Parliament.
“The party has formally requested the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to stop him from speaking under the AAP quota. Is it wrong to speak for the people? I ask this because my own party has now formally requested the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to stop me from speaking,” he said in a video statement.
Silenced, not defeated
My message to the ‘aam aadmi’
—
खामोश करवाया गया हूँ, हारा नहीं हूँ‘आम आदमी’ को मेरे संदेश pic.twitter.com/poUwxsu0S3
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) April 3, 2026
“These discussions helped the public, but how did they upset the Aam Aadmi Party? I am silenced, not defeated”, he added.
BJP Backs Chadha
The rift is no longer internal now, as AAP leaders fired salvos at Raghav Chadha following his response to the move.
AAP national media chief Anurag Dhanda said Chadha refused to sign a resolution against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and remained seated for the Prime Minister’s Parliament address even when other party members staged a walkout.
“Did Sansad Sahab speak for hundreds of AAP workers who have been arrested by the Gujarat Police? He would stay in attendance in the Parliament when the AAP MPs staged walkout,” he said.
While the AAP leaders continued to unleash attacks on Chadha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came out in his support. They praised the leader for raising public issues in the Parliament, accusing AAP Supremo Kejriwal of “using people and getting rid of them”.
Delhi BJP Chief Virendraa Sachdeva alleged “Kejriwal is intimidated by the competence of others.”
“Raghav Chadha should have broken his silence long ago; Arvind Kejriwal has a talent, first he uses people and then gets rid of them”, Sachdeva said.
VIDEO | Delhi: “Raghav Chadha should have broken his silence long ago; Arvind Kejriwal has a talent, first he uses people and then gets rid of them”, says Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Chadha’s X post.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/rc0XoepDjD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 3, 2026
“The removal of Raghav Chadha from the post of Deputy Leader of the Rajya Sabha is a decision taken by his party and all parties are free to make such decisions. The objection, however, lies in the act of writing to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat requesting that Raghav Chadha be denied permission to speak. Arvind Kejriwal is a frightened, weak man; he dislikes the opposition and is intimidated by the competence of others,” he added.
BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri praised Chadha for raising public issues and criticised Kejriwal for restricting him from speaking in the Parliament.
“When I was the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Raghav Chadha was an MLA there. He used to speak well, and it was good to listen to him. Later, he moved to the Rajya Sabha, where he has continued to raise public issues. It is beyond my understanding why Arvind Kejriwal has imposed restrictions on Raghav Chadha from speaking,” he said.
VIDEO | On AAP removing party MP Raghav Chadha as Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader, BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri says, “When I was the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Raghav Chadha was an MLA there. He used to speak well, and it was good to listen to him. Later, he moved… pic.twitter.com/00chN706bu
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 2, 2026
“If a senior member and a parliamentarian is being stopped from speaking, I believe this amounts to a complete undermining of democracy. Arvind Kejriwal and his party leadership should reconsider this decision”, Bidhuri added.
News 18 Also Covered: Raghav Chadha’s Absence From Key Events Fueled Speculation Of Rift
Why BJP Is Supporting Chadha?
Following the AAP’s decision to drop Raghav Chadha from the post of Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP is praising the MP to highlight a widening internal rift within the AAP.
Sources say Chadha might join the BJP in the coming months. However, AAP’s Ashok Mittal, who replaced him in the Rajya Sabha, refuted the claims.
A sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Chadha was elected by the Punjab Legislative Assembly in April 2022, with his term ending in April 2028.
