NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday defended the removal of Raghav Chadha as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, calling it part of routine party functioning and warning that those who deviate from the party line would face action.“This is regular party functioning. It is his call on what statement he wants to make.” Mann said.He added, “Those who break party lines should be subjected to action.”“In Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, the opposition takes many decisions, any member who goes against the party line, it goes against the party whip. Hence, if you go against the whip, you are bound to face action,” he said.Also read: ‘Scared of PM Modi?’: AAP corners Raghav ChadhaReplying to a question, Mann said Chadha is “compromised” and has gone against the party whip, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) periodically changes its parliamentary board leader and deputy leader. “I don’t know what he has said in his statement. If the party (AAP) gives a line – to raise issues like valid votes being deleted (in West Bengal), out 160 leaders and volunteers being booked in Gujarat or Punjab’s issues of attempts to polarize communities or issues minimum support price (MSP) or Centre holding back funds of goods and sales tax (GST) or rural development fund (RDF). But if someone raises issues of samosas at airports or pizza delivery time, won’t it raise doubts that he is talking from a different station,” Mann said.The remarks came a day after Chadha said he was “silenced, not defeated” following his removal from the post.Meanwhile, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chadha of failing to follow the party’s stance in Parliament and not participating in opposition protests.Also read: ‘Went to London while Arvind Kejriwal was arrested’: AAP MP Raghav Chadha not seen at key party events of late“We all are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, the Centre doesn’t care about soft PR or talking about samosas at airport canteens when bigger issues are at stake,” Bharadwaj said in a video posted on X.“Whenever the Opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you (Chadha) did not participate. You did not raise issues concerning Punjab, from where you are elected, and you hid in a foreign country when former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested,” he added.AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also criticised Chadha, questioning his willingness to confront the central government.“In West Bengal, the right to vote is being snatched away. When a proposal against the CEC came up in the House, you (Chadha) refused to sign it,” Dhanda said on X.“In Parliament, we get limited time to speak, and it can be used either to fight for the nation or discuss trivial matters like cheaper samosas at airport canteens,” he said, adding that Chadha has been hesitant to speak on “real issues” for the last few years.
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