'Silenced, not defeated': Raghav Chadha slams AAP after demotion in Rajya Sabha, asks if has 'committed any crime'

Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Friday said he had been "silenced, not defeated", a day after being removed as the party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha.

In a strongly worded response, Chadha hit back at the AAP and alleged that his own party had sought to prevent him from speaking in Parliament.

Chadha, a video posted on X, said whenever he got a chance to speak in Parliament, he utilised the opportunity to raise the issues of the common people.

Targeting the AAP, he sought to know from his party if raising people’s voices was a crime.

"Whenever I get a chance, I raise issues concerning the people in Parliament, including topics that are often overlooked. But is it an offence to talk about people's problems? Did I commit any crime?"

He alleged that the AAP had informed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to stop him from speaking in Parliament.

"The AAP has informed Parliament that I should not be given a chance to speak. I would like to tell them — do not take my silence for defeat," Chadha said.

"I raised several issues that benefited aam aadmi (common man). What harm did that cause the Aam Aadmi Party? Why does anyone want to stop me from speaking?" he added.

The AAP on Thursday wrote to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking the removal of Chadha as the party's deputy leader in the House and .proposed Punjab MP Ashok Mittal as his replacement.

A PTI report quoting sources said the letter stated that Chadha, Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, should not be allotted time for speaking in the House from the AAP's quota.

Once considered a close confidant of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and among the youngest MPs in the country, Chadha had played a key role in party affairs, particularly in Punjab and during the AAP's tenure in Delhi.