Won’t be cowed, says Raghav, AAP brass says he indulged in ‘soft PR’ | India News
New Delhi: A day after the AAP removed him as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Raghav Chadha announced that he would not be cowed by efforts to silence him, drawing a sharp reaction from his colleagues.Senior AAP members accused Chadha of being afraid of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not raising issues related to the party’s position. They pointed to signing notices seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and defying the party line in the walkout over the issue in the House. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann accused party leader in Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Chadha and Atishi of engaging in “soft PR” in Parliament. Asked by a reporter if he believed Chadha had compromised, Mann replied, “Yes”.
Questions on Maan Raghav’s focus: ‘Serious samosas?’
Mann criticized Raghav Chadha for raising issues like the price of samosas at the airport while ignoring key issues prioritized by AAP and accused him of deviating from the party line.Mann said, “If the party gives a line to raise specific issues, like erasure of valid votes (in West Bengal), cases against 160 AAP leaders and volunteers in Gujarat, or issues in Punjab, like attempts to polarize communities, MSPs, Center withholding GST funds or rural development funds, but one suspects or wins when delivering it to the airport. Is he talking from another station?” In the jibe ‘jo daar gaya samjho mar gaya’ (those who live in fear are as good as dead), AAP leaders taunted their estranged colleagues.The slogfest started after Punjab’s RS MP from 2022 gave a video message to Chadha X. “To those who took away my right to speak in Parliament, I want to tell them not to accept my silence as defeat. I am the river that can turn into a devastating deluge when the time comes,” he warned.The Rajya Sabha MP asked whether it is a crime to talk about common people’s problems in Parliament. “Today, I am asking this because AAP has told the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that Raghav Chadha should not be given time to speak in Parliament. Now, why would anyone want to stop me from speaking?” He asked and listed various issues like expensive food at airports, problems of catered passengers, taxes on the middle class.Sanjay Singh questioned Chadha’s silence on many issues ranging from LPG cylinders to vote rigging in West Bengal, rights in Punjab and atrocities faced by AAP volunteers in Gujarat. “On all these issues, Raghav Chadha is silent. I want to tell him that we are foot soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, who taught us to fight fearlessly against Modi.”Referring to Kejriwal’s arrest in March 2024, former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said that while party leaders faced street protests and detentions, questions were raised about the absence of the chada. “Then we protected you…but today, even I want to ask that when Kejriwal was arrested, did you fear the BJP and hence ran away to London?” he hits
