Raghav Chadha quits as AAP’s RS deputy leader, replaced by Ashok Mittal

New Delhi: am admi party has dropped Raghav Chadha Appointed Ashok Mittal as deputy leader of the House of Representatives and appointed Ashok Mittal to replace him. The party sent a letter to the Federal Council Secretariat on Thursday conveying the decision. By evening, the RS website reflected the change.Both Chadha and Mittal are from Punjab; AAP has 10 members in the Lok Sabha, including estranged MP Swati Maliwal. The party’s sudden decision to oust Chadha has given rise to the belief that he is increasingly estranged from the party’s top leadership, led by Chadha. Arvind Kejriwal.

Chadha was once a trusted aide to Kejriwal, but for a while, he seemed to be sidelined. Despite his recent role as the party’s national spokesperson, his absence from the party’s top leadership events and his silence on various issues raised by the party’s top brass have also allowed rumors to spread.

Chadha’s silence after Kejriwal’s arrest is first sign of rift

The first sign of sour relations between the party leadership and Chadha came in March 2024 when then Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal was arrested in the GST policy case and the absence of the RS MP, considered a close friend of Kejriwal. While the party tried to quell speculations citing Chadha’s absence from the country due to health reasons, his prolonged absence and silence did not satisfy the AAP supremo.Recently, Chadha has been vocal in Parliament on public welfare-related issues but has not issued any statement after Kejriwal and former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia were acquitted by a Delhi court last month in the liquor case. He also did not attend Kejriwal’s press conference and the gathering at Jantar Mantar since then.Later in the day, in a cryptic post shared on X, Chadha posted a video compiling his speeches in which he raised issues affecting “average Indians,” from tax burdens to the rights of gig workers. He added an evil eye emoji to the post.