I am a river that turns into flood when time comes: Raghav Chadha warns AAP after demotion in Rajya Sabha; party hits back

'It is sad to note Chadha did not raise his voice against Narendra Modi and on issues that concerned the country and AAP, including the attack on party workers in Gujarat'

New Delhi: A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) removed him as its Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha and instructed that he not be allotted time from its quota, Raghav Chadha on Friday declared a war against his party, saying he “can be silenced but not defeated”, drawing instant response from the Arvind Kejriwal-party that he was engaging in “soft PR” but shies away from criticising the ruling BJP.

Once a close aide of Kejriwal, the 37-year-old Punjab MP warned his party that he is a “river that turns into a flood when the time comes” and questioned why his party finds him in the wrong for raising “real” issues that concern the public that were often not raised in Parliament and want to silence his voice.

However, the AAP did not take Chadha’s 2:17-minute video posted on X kindly, with AAP Rajya Sabha floor leader Sanjay Singh leading the attack, claiming that it was “sad” to note Chadha did not raise his voice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and on issues that concerned the country and party, including the attack on party workers in Gujarat.

Singh said Chadha did not sign the notice seeking removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “The Centre doesn't care about soft PR or talking about samosas at airports when bigger issues are at stake. You did not raise issues concerning Punjab, and you hid in a foreign country when Kejriwal was arrested."

Referring to the AAP writing to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that he should not be allotted time for speaking from the party’s quota, Chadha asked why does the party want to silence him and how it harmed the AAP when he raises issues like exploitation at toll plazas, excessive bank charges and tax burden on the middle class.

Insisting that he exists because of the common man, he said, “To those who have taken away my right to speak in Parliament and tried to silence me, I want to say this: do not mistake my silence for defeat. Do not mistake my silence for defeat — I am a river that turns into a flood when the time comes.”

“Why would anyone want to stop me from speaking? Why would anyone want to silence my voice? You all give me immense love. Every time I raise your issues, you support me, encourage me, and boost my morale. I want to say thank you and please continue to stand by me and support me,” he said.

Chadha’s silence over Kejriwal getting court relief in the liquor scam case and his absence at a rally to celebrate the development in February had also not gone well with the leadership.

Chadha, a chartered accountant by profession, was key to Kejriwal’s plans as he was brought to the Rajya Sabha two years into his MLA term and vice chairman of the Delhi Jal Board. He was also made an adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann when the party formed government in the State.

His distancing from the leadership was witnessed from March 2024 after Kejriwal's arrest ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Chadha was abroad for an eye surgery then but remained away during Kejriwal's nearly six-month incarceration and met him only a few days after his release in September 2024.