NEW DELHI: The internal rift between Raghav Chadha and the AAP high command came into the open after the party on Thursday replaced him with Ashok Mittal as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha.In a letter to the Rajya Sabha secretariat, AAP requested that Chadha not be allotted speaking time from the party’s quota in the Upper House.What led to the decision?According to reports, Chadha was reportedly sidelined for alleged indiscipline and for not strictly adhering to the party line.Interestingly, Chadha made no statements following the recent discharge of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the liquor excise policy-linked money laundering case. He was also absent from the party office when Kejriwal later arrived to address a press conference.During Kejriwal’s arrest in connection with the liquor policy case ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chadha refrained from making any remarks, claiming he was recovering from eye surgery in the UK.Last week, when speculations arose that Chadha might switch to the BJP ahead of the Punjab elections, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, however, played down the possibility. “If you are within a party, within a family, then internal issues are resolved through discussion. If it reaches that point, we will deal with it,” he said.The new deputy leader of AAP in the Rajya Sabha, Ashok Mittal, described Chadha’s removal as a normal party process, saying there were no specific reasons behind it.Addressing a press conference, Mittal, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, said he had no knowledge about rumours that Chadha might join the BJP. He added that Chadha would still be given time to speak in the Rajya Sabha:“Everyone gets time to speak in our party; it is a democratic process. Raghav Chadha will also be given time to speak in the Rajya Sabha in the future.”Mittal asserted that AAP is a democratic party and gives responsibilities to its leaders. He said the party would decide on Chadha’s role in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party president Virendra Sachdeva said that the replacement of MP Raghav Chadha as deputy leader in Rajya Sabha reflects Arvind Kejriwal’s anarchy.Sachdeva said that Chadha has not only been replaced as the deputy leader of the Upper House but the AAP has even urged the Raya Sabha Secretariat not to allow him time to speak in the House.It is clear that Chadha is paying a price for having distanced himself from the anarchic and corrupt leadership of AAP Convenor Kejriwal, the Delhi BJP President added. He said that first it was AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal and now her party member and MP Raghav Chadha who are, apparently, facing ill-treatment by “weak” Kejriwal, who has no guts to face political opposition whether from within the party or rival parties.Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, has been associated with AAP since its inception. He began his career working with Arvind Kejriwal on the Delhi Lokpal Bill in 2012 and quickly rose within the party, becoming a national spokesperson and later its youngest treasurer after AAP’s 2015 Delhi Assembly poll win.He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from South Delhi but lost to Ramesh Bidhuri before winning the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections from Rajendra Nagar. Chadha later served as vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board. In 2022, at 33, he became the youngest Rajya Sabha MP and played a key role in AAP’s parliamentary and organisational affairs alongside leaders like Manish Sisodia and Bhagwant Mann.In 2023, AAP designated him as its leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Sanjay Singh. Chadha has frequently raised key public issues in the House.