Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Raghav Chadha reacts after AAP demotion from Rajya Sabha post and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha took his first public stand against his party Friday, releasing an emotional video that questioned why he was stripped of his position as Deputy Leader of Rajya Sabha and calling the move a punishment for raising “aam aadmi” issues in Parliament.
In the video titled ‘Silenced, Not Defeated’, Chadha–seen standing outside Parliament–addressed supporters directly and asked what he had done to deserve the action.
“I raise issues that are not usually discussed in Parliament, I speak about the concerns of the people. But is raising public issues, is speaking for the people, a crime? Have I done something wrong?” the MP, once considered close to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, said.
On Thursday, AAP had written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, nominating Ashok Mittal, the party’s MP from Punjab, as its new Deputy Leader of the House in place of Chadha.
Silenced, not defeated
My message to the ‘aam aadmi’
—
खामोश करवाया गया हूँ, हारा नहीं हूँ‘आम आदमी’ को मेरे संदेश pic.twitter.com/poUwxsu0S3
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) April 3, 2026
Chadha said he could not understand why he was being silenced for raising exactly the kind of issues the party was founded to champion.
“The Aam Aadmi Party has told the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that I should not be allowed to speak in Parliament. But why would anyone want to silence me? I speak for the ‘aam aadmi’. I raised issues of delivery workers, expensive food at airports, toll plaza ‘loot’ amongst others. The common man benefited when I spoke on these issues, so what was the party losing from it,” he asked.
In a direct appeal to his supporters to continue standing with him, he said: “Mai aapse aur aapke liye hoon–mera haath aur saath mat choriyega.”
He also appeared to signal a political comeback, warning the party not to misread his restraint. “Don’t mistake my silence for defeat, I am like a river that turns into a flood when the time comes,” he said.
On his X account, he posted a compilation of his parliamentary speeches accompanied by a single caption—an evil eye emoticon.
Chadha’s demotion comes amid persistent speculation of a falling-out between him and Kejriwal. Chadha has been notably absent from several key AAP public events and did not participate in the party’s street protests when senior leaders—including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain—were jailed on corruption allegations. He also stayed away from celebrations held after they were granted bail.
Chadha, who has been associated with AAP since its inception, rose quickly through its ranks: appointed national treasurer at 26, he went on to win the 2020 Delhi Assembly election before entering the Rajya Sabha as an AAP nominee. He was widely regarded as Kejriwal’s blue-eyed boy, the youngest MP in the party’s parliamentary group, and one of its most visible spokespersons.
His replacement, Mittal, downplayed the reshuffle, describing it as a routine democratic exercise and asserting that all was well within the party. “Before Raghav, it was N.D Gupta as the deputy leader. Our party is democratic and this is a routine change,” he said.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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