The Centre has decided to grant Z-category security to AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, days after the party-led Punjab government withdrew his Z+ security cover provided by the state police.

The Centre’s move comes at a time when the rift between Chadha and the AAP leadership has widened and there is growing speculation that he might join the BJP.

Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate raided the business and residential premises of AAP Rajya Sabha member Ashok Kumar Mittal in Punjab and Haryana as part of a Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) probe.

This includes the premises of Lovely Professional University in Phagwara (Kapurthala district) and two linked educational institutions — Tetr College of Business and Masters Union College of Business — in Gurgaon, ED officials said.

Recently, the AAP removed Chadha from the post of deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing him with Mittal, a move that triggered speculation of a deepening internal rift between Chadha and party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Sources in the Union home ministry said the decision to provide Z-category security to the Punjab MP was taken following a threat assessment report prepared by the Intelligence Bureau, which recommended enhanced protection. “Delhi police have been tasked with ensuring Chadha’s security until a formal central deployment is finalised,” said a ministry official.

Chadha, a 37-year-old accountant and co-founder of the AAP in 2012, was once the party’s youth icon and emissary to other parties. He has been aloof from his party for more than a year and remained silent on the liquor policy case against AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal, which was quashed last month.

AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged a covert understanding between senior BJP leaders and Chadha, linking it to the ED raids on Mittal. Kakkar said: “We have information from verified sources that there was a meeting of top-level BJP leaders with Raghav Chadha, wherein it was decided that he would be provided Z-category security and raids would be conducted on Ashok Mittal.”