New Delhi, 2 April

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has written to the Rajya Sabha secretariat seeking the removal of its MP Raghav Chadha as the party's deputy leader in the House, and has proposed Punjab MP Ashok Mittal as his replacement, sources said on Thursday.

According to sources, the letter states that Chadha -- who is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab -- should not be allotted time for speaking in the House from the AAP's quota.

The move comes amid Chadha's prolonged silence on matters related to the AAP, and his absence from several public events led by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

Once considered a close confidant of Kejriwal and among the youngest MPs in the country, Chadha had played a key role in party affairs, particularly in Punjab and during the AAP's tenure in Delhi.

However, things have changed in recent months.

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 13 September 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 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.

Talking to reporters, Mittal said the party's national convener has entrusted him with the role of AAP's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, and he will discharge his duties sincerely and present both the party's stance and national interests forcefully in the House.

Downplaying the change, he termed it a routine process, noting that earlier, ND Gupta was the deputy leader of the party 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 AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.