India, April 4 -- A day after being removed as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Raghav Chadha on Friday said he had been "silenced, not defeated," triggering a sharp exchange within the party and political reactions across the spectrum.

In a post on X, Chadha said, "Whenever I get a chance to speak in Parliament, I raise public issues. But is raising public issues a crime? Have I committed a crime?" he said, adding that his silence in the House should not be misconstrued as defeat. He also alleged that the party had written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking to prevent him from speaking.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi questioned Chadha's silence on what she described as "pressing national ...