New Delhi: Raghav Chadha, one of the Aam Aadmi Party’s most visible faces in Parliament and on social media, has been abruptly removed from his post as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha.
The party has not issued an official explanation for the decision. However, people familiar with the developments claim AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal suspected Chadha could be drifting towards the BJP.
According to the report, Chadha has largely avoided direct criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha, and has not been sharply critical of the BJP. It also notes that he travelled to London for an eye surgery around the time Kejriwal was arrested in the liquor case, and did not attend a large public meeting at Jantar Mantar when Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were released on lower court orders.
With Punjab headed for Assembly elections next February–March and AAP currently in power there, party circles are said to be discussing the possibility of the BJP projecting Chadha as a chief ministerial face. Separately, party workers are also circulating allegations linked to his handling of Punjab affairs and the circumstances around his eye injury, underscoring continuing internal tensions within AAP.
