New Delhi, March 3 – The rift within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to the surface on Friday, with Raghav Chadha, the party's "sacked" Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, and other party leaders, including Delhi unit President Saurabh Bharadwaj, engaging in a heated exchange of words.
Shortly after Raghav Chadha issued a video statement on Friday morning, claiming that he was being silenced for raising people's concerns, several AAP leaders responded, accusing the former of bowing to the Centre and aligning with those in power.
Saurabh Bharadwaj posted a counter video statement to challenge Raghav Chadha, also criticizing his "decline from a position of authority and integrity."
Bharadwaj and others, who called Chadha "Kejriwal's soldiers," also made light of the party's former Rajya Sabha MP, saying that the current government doesn't care about "soft PR."
"A small party has limited time, and it is more important to address the larger issues facing the country rather than focusing on samosas," said the Delhi AAP President.
Bharadwaj also pointed out several instances where Raghav Chadha, the AAP MP from Punjab, had failed to effectively challenge the government, emphasizing the need for integrity and courage in politics.
The Delhi AAP President highlighted the mistreatment of AAP workers in Gujarat, the curtailment of voting rights in West Bengal, and questioned, "Why didn't Chadha raise these issues in the House?"
"When Arvind Kejriwal was illegally detained, you (Raghav Chadha) went into hiding. Politics cannot be conducted by simply promoting the ruling party; it must be done by confronting the truth," said Bharadwaj.
Anurag Dhanda, AAP's Media In-charge, also criticized Raghav Chadha, accusing him of lacking courage and failing to fight for the party's cause.
"We are Kejriwal's soldiers. Fearlessness is our defining characteristic. Will someone who fears Prime Minister Modi fight for the country?" he asked.
He also questioned Chadha's silence in the House regarding issues related to Gujarat and West Bengal.
"In Gujarat, hundreds of our workers have been arrested by the BJP's police – will the honorable MP speak up in the House? In West Bengal, the right to vote is being taken away. When a proposal against the CEC came up in the House, Chadha refused to sign it," Dhanda said on the social media platform X, criticizing AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who had previously enjoyed Kejriwal's full support.
"You hesitate to speak against the Prime Minister. You hesitate to address the real issues facing the country. Those who are afraid..." he added.
Earlier on Friday, Raghav Chadha, the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP and a long-time loyalist of Kejriwal, launched a direct attack on the party leadership, asserting that his silence should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
The heated exchange of words between AAP leaders followed Raghav Chadha's "demotion" from his position as Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, replaced by another Punjab MP, Ashok Mittal.