AAP removes Raghav Chadha as Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader, appoints Ashok Mittal as successor
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has requested the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to allot speaking time to Raghav Chadha from the party's quota, as part of his removal as Deputy Leader
New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made a major change to its organizational structure in the Rajya Sabha, removing Deputy Leader of the Rajya Sabha Raghav Chadha from the post. In his place, Punjab MP Ashok Kumar Mittal has been entrusted with this important responsibility. The party has sent a formal letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat informing them of this decision.
Sources have also reported that the party's letter contains another strict directive. The party has stated that Raghav Chadha should not be given time from the party's allotted quota to speak in the Upper House. Currently, the Aam Aadmi Party has a total of 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Of these, seven represent the state of Punjab, while three are from Delhi.
In fact, for some time, discussions have been rife in political circles regarding Raghav Chadha's alleged closeness to the BJP. However, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh dismissed these speculations, clarifying that there is no possibility of Chadha joining the BJP and that such reports are completely baseless.
Distance from public events became the reason for discussion
Even after the release of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case, Raghav Chadha's limited presence in public forums, press conferences and social media raised many questions. There was no specific reaction from his side on this important political development, which further strengthened the speculation. Sanjay Singh also admitted that Chadha's public activity has decreased in recent months, but he refrained from commenting on the reasons behind it, saying that Raghav Chadha himself can best answer this.
Who is Ashok Kumar Mittal?
Ashok Kumar Mittal hails from Jalandhar, Punjab, and is the founding chancellor of Lovely Professional University. A businessman-turned-politician, Mittal entered the Rajya Sabha in 2022 on an AAP ticket. He has a strong presence in the education sector and has actively spoken out on various issues, including education and health, in the House.