AAP's Raghav Chadha temporarily suspended from Rajya Sabha amid 'gross violation of rules'

New Delhi, August 11: A suspension was imposed on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha today in the Rajya Sabha for alleged "breach of privilege." The suspension follows complaints filed by four MPs who claimed that Chadha had included their names in a house panel without their consent, thereby violating established rules.

The upper house adopted a resolution presented by Piyush Goyal, the leader of the house, to suspend Raghav Chadha until the privileges committee completes its investigation into the alleged instances of privilege violation. Goyal criticized the AAP leader's "unethical conduct" and described it as a "blatant disregard for the rules."

According to a bulletin from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the chairman received complaints from MPs Sasmit Patra, S Phangnon Konyak, M Thambidurai, and Narhari Amin. These MPs alleged that Raghav Chadha breached their privileges by including their names without consent, thus contravening the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. Chadha had introduced a motion on August 7 proposing the formation of a Select Committee to deliberate on the 'Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023,' and had listed the names of the four MPs.

The suspension period for Sanjay Singh, another AAP MP, was extended as well, pending the privilege committee's decision on the complaints against him.

Piyush Goyal mentioned that "Sanjay Singh showed defiance and did not leave the chamber, and as a result, the house could not function...He did not show any remorse, instead he kept justifying his behavior."

In response to the allegations, Chadha rejected the charges and suggested that the ruling party had singled him out due to their inability to accept a 34-year-old MP challenging their senior leadership.

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