Responding to claims that he did not raise Punjab-related issues in Parliament, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Sunday shared a video highlighting his interventions on key concerns affecting the state.
In the video, Chadha is seen raising issues such as declining underground water levels, matters related to Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, and other Punjab-centric concerns.
Sharing the video on X, Chadha pushed back against the criticism from within the party and underlined his connection to the state.
This comes into light after AAP's Punjab unit alleged on Saturday that the MP, who was elected from the state to the Upper House, had remained "silent" on crucial issues related to Punjab like GST losses and flood relief.
In a joint statement, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, state AAP president Aman Arora and party leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said all these issues were repeatedly conveyed to Chadha, "but he did not speak even once before the prime minister on these issues. This clearly shows a compromise".
"AAP gives opportunities to common people, but remaining silent on such crucial issues is a betrayal of Punjab and its people,” Cheema said while Punjab AAP president and Cabinet minister Aman Arora also lambasted Chadha, saying, “He must remember the role played by Arvind Kejriwal and the party in elevating him politically.
Raghav Chadha had been in the news after he was removed as the deputy leader in Rajya Sabha after AAP wrote to the Upper House on Thursday seeking the appointment of MP Ashok Mittal as the new deputy leader.
The party also requested that Chadha be excluded from the list of speakers in Parliament.
Responding to AAP’s comments that he did not raise the Punjab issue, his video which highlighted his speeches on Punjab issues, also had another message, "To my colleagues in AAP who were forced to issue videos saying that 'Raghav Chadha failed to raise Punjab's issues in Parliament', here is a small trailer, 'Picture Abhi Baaki Hai'," he said.
While speculations are going on behind the real reason for Raghav’s removal, the AAP has surgically sidelined Chadha with AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday, claiming that Chadha had shied away from raising his voice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre in Parliament and instead engaged in "soft PR".
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday claimed that party MP Raghav Chadha has deleted his earlier posts on X that were critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
He also claimed that the Rajya Sabha MP's posts shared by AAP leaders had also disappeared from his account.
In a post on X on Saturday, Bharadwaj claimed that a search of Chadha's timeline using keywords such as "BJP" and "Modi" did not show any critical remarks. Only two posts mentioning Modi remain and both praise the prime minister.
Posts earlier quoted by AAP leaders have also disappeared from Chadha's account, he alleged.
"Raghav Chadha, who was once a sharp critic of Modi and the BJP, has completely erased his old image and presented a new, polished version of himself like one put through a washing machine," Bharadwaj said.
