AAP Claims Raghav Chadha Did Not Adequately Address Punjab’s Issues in Parliament

On Saturday, the AAP criticized Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, alleging that he did not address important issues related to Punjab in Parliament and stating that his lack of action went against the party’s core principles.

In a joint statement, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, AAP State President Aman Arora, and party leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal stated that Chaddha’s silence on several critical issues is “disappointing.”

Cheema remarked that Chaddha—who was elected to the Rajya Sabha by Punjab’s MLAs—was expected to forcefully articulate the state’s concerns at the national level; however, he has failed to raise “even a single sensitive issue” in this regard.

The Minister noted that key financial concerns—including pending Rural Development Fund (RDF) arrears amounting to approximately ₹8,500 crore and GST-related revenue losses estimated at around ₹60,000 crore—were not highlighted in Parliament.

He also cited the financial setbacks resulting from changes in GST compensation norms, as well as issues concerning funding under the National Health Mission, as matters that the MP allegedly failed to raise.

Punjab has not yet received the full financial assistance of ₹1,600 crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the floods that struck the state last year. Cheema pointed out that this issue, too, was not raised in Parliament.

Describing Chaddha’s silence as “disappointing,” the minister stated that the AAP had expected the MP to raise these issues before the center, adding that his “inaction” runs counter to the party’s core principles.

Punjab AAP Chief Arora asserted that fearlessly raising public issues is one of the party’s foundational tenets, and any deviation from this principle would be considered “abrupt.”

He emphasized that Punjab’s pending financial and relief-related matters require consistent attention at the national level.

AAP MLA Dhaliwal noted that people affected by the floods are resentful that this issue was not raised in Parliament. He added that the affected individuals had appealed for a discussion regarding compensation and relief measures, yet their concerns went unmentioned in the House.

AAP leaders said that Punjab issues must be raised on all platforms, or the party’s mandate would be undermined.