AAP Removes Chadha from RS Deputy Leader Post; Delhi Assembly Security Breach

April

2026

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has removed Raghav Chadha as its deputy leader in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament, RS), a post he has occupied since he was nominated from Panjab in 2023. He has been replaced by another Member of Parliament from Panjab, Ashok Mittal. AAP sent a formal communication to the RS secretariat and also said that Chadha should not be allotted time to speak in Parliament. Chadha was considered AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s blue-eyed boy and had proved to be the chief troubleshooter for AAP in the 2022 elections. In July 2022, Chadha was appointed chairman of a committee to advise Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on 'matters of public importance'. However, his perception in Panjab remained that he was a Delhiite who was not interested in Panjab matters. Though Chadha denies it and has raised Panjab issues in Parliament, he did not express solidarity when Kejriwal was arrested in March 2024, released in September 2024, or when the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi finally discharged him and others in March 2025. Mann said Chadha was ‘compromised’, meaning he was leaning towards the Bharatiya Janata Party. For the past few months, Chadha has been raising public-interest issues in Parliament, including gig workers’ welfare, excessive bank charges for common citizens, phone data expiry rules, stricter food safety regulations, checks on airport food rates, and so on. Basically, issues of the common people, which AAP claims to represent. Meanwhile, another senior leader from the rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet, revival) Barjinder Singh Brar has resigned, questioning the integrity of the leadership of the breakaway faction, including party president Giani Harpreet Singh. Also, on 6 Apr, a security breach occurred at the Delhi Legislative Assembly when a speeding vehicle rammed through Gate No. 2 to forcibly enter the premises. Delhi Police have successfully apprehended three individuals in connection with the breach. The vehicle was registered in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. Bizarrely, when chased, the vehicle stopped in front of the Delhi Assembly Speaker's office, and the driver, identified as Sarabjit, got down and placed a flower pot on the steps of the office (earlier coverage).