Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) headline-maker Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has been replaced as the party’s deputy leader in the House by Ashok Mittal in a move that has sparked speculation of an internal rift.
While party leaders described the decision to replace Chadha as Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker as part of internal restructuring, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the move was a result of the MP “distancing himself” from the party’s national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
An earlier HT report quoted Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva as saying, “The way Raghav Chadha was replaced and sidelined shows that he has distanced himself from the chaotic and corrupt leadership of Arvind Kejriwal.”
Read also | Raghav Chadha breaks his silence after AAP dropped him from Rajya Sabha post: ‘Did I do something wrong?’
Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Waring said it was now clear that Chadda is separate from AAP, citing reports that Chadda was away from several public events led by Kejriwal.
On the other hand, Mittal, who is replacing Chadha, described the move as a natural process of the party and has no specific reasons behind it.
On speculation of an internal rift in the party and talks of Chadha joining the BJP, Mittal said he was not aware of the rumors that the MP might join the BJP in the wake of his replacement as deputy leader in the House.
Who is Ashok Mittal?
Industrialist-turned-legislator Ashok Mittal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, is the founder chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU). Reportedly, he is also a chartered accountant by profession.
Mittal, a native of Jalandhar in Punjab, is a law graduate from Guru Nanak Dev University and also holds an ‘honourary’ doctorate from Atal Bihari Vajpayee University (ABVU) in Chhattisgarh, according to the biography on his website.
Mittal has in the past received awards like Indian Red Cross Award, Punjab Gaurav Award, Shiksha Ratan Award, and National Excellence in Education Awards, among others, according to the biography.
The AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha – seven from Punjab and three from Delhi. Chadha represents Punjab in the Senate. With Punjab heading to assembly elections next year, the party wants to give more importance to state issues in Parliament, party insiders said.
“Raghav Chadha is our senior leader and will continue to be so. I have taken over from him just as he took charge from ND Gupta earlier. AAP is a democratic party and believes in giving opportunities to different leaders to raise important issues,” Mittal said at a press conference after the cabinet reshuffle on Thursday.
Expressing his gratitude to his party, Mittal said he was grateful to AAP and Arvind Kejriwal for giving him this opportunity.
With this change, we will be able to raise Punjab-related issues more effectively in Parliament, especially delays in funds and matters affecting the general public, Mittal said.
