Chandigarh, April 15 -- Raghav Chadha's removal as the Aam Aadmi Party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha has triggered a wider political storm, with the fallout quickly extending beyond internal party tensions to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) searches on his successor Ashok Kumar Mittal. The developments, coupled with the withdrawal of Chadha's Z-plus security by the Punjab government and reports that the Centre may provide him Z security protection, have led AAP leaders to allege a broader political link between investigative action and the role of the central government. The BJP has rejected these claims.
The ED on Wednesday conducted searches at about 10 locations in Punjab and Haryana as part of a probe under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Officials said the action covered premises in Jalandhar, nearby areas and Gurugram, including the Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, where Mittal is Chancellor. The agency also searched two Gurugram-based institutions, Tetr College of Business and Masters Union College of Business, founded by Mittal's son Pratham Mittal. Investigators are examining certain overseas financial transactions linked to these institutions and have recorded preliminary statements of people present during the searches. There was no immediate response from the institutions.
The timing of the ED action has drawn attention because it came days after Mittal replaced Chadha as AAP's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party had written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking Chadha's removal from the post and also requested that he not be allotted speaking time from its quota. Mittal later described the leadership change as routine, saying such responsibilities are rotated among leaders.
Chadha's removal has exposed a deepening rift within AAP. Once seen as a close aide of party chief Arvind Kejriwal and a key strategist behind the party's Punjab victory in 2022, Chadha has in recent months found himself at odds with the leadership. After being dropped, he said he had been "silenced, not defeated," a remark that drew a sharp response from the party.
AAP leaders had accused Chadha of not following the party line in Parliament and of failing to strongly take on the Centre. In response, Chadha had shared a video highlighting his speeches and interventions, pushing back against the criticism and calling the allegations baseless.
The situation became more tense after the Punjab government withdrew Chadha's Z-plus category security cover, which had earlier been provided to him as a Rajya Sabha MP from the state. Sources said the cover was withdrawn a few days ago. At the same time, there are indications that the central government may provide him security, a possibility that has added to the political friction.
AAP leaders have linked these developments to the ED action against Mittal. MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that there appears to be a pattern connecting Chadha's removal, the ED searches on Mittal and the reported move to give Chadha central security. Other leaders, including Sanjay Singh and Anurag Dhanda, also questioned the timing of the enforcement action and alleged that central agencies were being used to influence politics ahead of elections.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the searches showed that the BJP had started preparing for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. Arvind Kejriwal also accused the Centre of misusing investigative agencies against political opponents. The BJP has rejected these allegations. Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu accused AAP of corruption and said agencies were acting against wrongdoing. "Modi ji's policy is Clean India; under it, the filth will certainly be cleaned up," he said.
Opposition parties in Punjab have also reacted. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia criticised the withdrawal of Chadha's security and accused the AAP government of politicising the police. He asked the state's Director General of Police to explain why the security was first given and then withdrawn. Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that both AAP and the BJP were misusing agencies and acting in a coordinated manner for political benefit.
Mittal, 61, entered politics in 2022 and was elected to the Rajya Sabha the same year. He has served on parliamentary committees such as Defence and Finance and has been part of international delegations. AAP currently has 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.