New Delhi, April 2 The AAP replaced its Rajya Sabha deputy leader, Raghav Chadha, with Ashok Mittal, on Thursday, amid speculation about his alleged differences with the party's top leadership.
Chadha did not respond to the development when contacted.
Party leaders confirmed that a letter was sent to the Rajya Sabha secretariat seeking Chadha's removal from the post of the party's deputy leader in the Upper House.
"The Rajya Sabha secretariat was informed of the party's decision," AAP leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Singh, told reporters.
AAP leaders refuted claims that Chadha was prevented from speaking in the Rajya Sabha due to the party's MP quota.
Speaking to reporters, Mittal said that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has entrusted him with the role of the party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, and he will fulfill his duties sincerely and present both the party's stance and national interests effectively in the House.
The AAP MP from Punjab in the Rajya Sabha said, "Everyone gets a chance to speak in our party; it is a democratic process. Raghav Chadha will also be given a chance to speak in the Rajya Sabha in the future."
Downplaying the change, he termed it a routine process, noting that earlier N D Gupta was the party's deputy leader in the Upper House, and then Chadha was given the responsibility.
"Now, I have been given this role. Our party wants all MPs to learn, and probably in that context, I have been given this role so that I can learn the processes and administrative skills in politics," he said, adding that the party remains strong.
The move comes amid Chadha's prolonged silence on matters related to the AAP, and his absence from several public events led by Kejriwal.
He becomes the second Rajya Sabha MP of AAP, after Swati Maliwal, to have fallen out with the party leadership.
Once considered a close confidant of Kejriwal and among the youngest MPs in the country, Chadha played a key role in party affairs, particularly in Punjab and during the AAP's tenure in Delhi.
Chadha was abroad for medical reasons when Kejriwal, the then Delhi chief minister, was arrested in connection with the excise policy case in March 2024. He remained away during Kejriwal's nearly six-month incarceration and met him only a few days after his release on September 13, 2024.
More recently, Chadha maintained silence when Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders were discharged by a Delhi court in the excise case last month. He also missed Kejriwal's press conference and a recent rally at Jantar Mantar following the court's relief.
Party leaders claimed Chadha has been increasingly sidelined from political campaigns and organisational matters of the party in other states, although he has been vocal inside and outside Parliament, raising issues such as high air fares and the condition of gig workers.
The AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
