Shruti Suman
Raghav Chadha, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a Member of Parliament, has been temporarily suspended from the Rajya Sabha. This suspension follows a motion by the Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, who accused Chadha of committing a “gross violation of rules, misconduct, defiant attitude, and contemptuous conduct.” The motion was passed by a voice vote, and Chadha’s suspension is in effect pending a report from the privileges committee.
The suspension stems from Chadha’s actions in relation to the proposed select committee for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Chadha included the names of certain members of the House in this proposed committee without their consent. Specifically, MPs Sasmit Patra, S Phangnon Konyak, M Thambidurai, and Narhari Amin alleged that Chadha included their names in the motion against the Delhi Services Bill on August 7 without obtaining their permission. These allegations led to the motion for Chadha’s suspension.
In response to his suspension, the AAP accused the BJP of deliberately trying to implicate Raghav Chadha. The AAP characterized the allegations against Chadha as false and politically motivated, asserting that the BJP was targeting him due to his opposition to the party’s agenda.
Piyush Goyal, as the Leader of the House and a Union Minister, criticized Chadha’s behavior as unethical and a flagrant disregard for the rules. Goyal maintained that the government had a strong case against Chadha, emphasizing that the affected members were seeking justice through the parliamentary procedures.
On August 7, Raghav Chadha had put forth a proposal for the establishment of a Select Committee to review the ‘Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023’. His motion included the signatures of the four MPs who later alleged their names were used without permission.
Furthermore, another AAP MP, Sanjay Singh, who had been previously suspended from the House, will remain suspended until the privileges committee addresses the complaints against him. Piyush Goyal indicated that Singh’s suspension was extended due to his defiance and refusal to leave the chamber, which disrupted the functioning of the house. Goyal stated that Singh’s behavior lacked remorse and instead he attempted to justify his actions.
