Raghav Chadha, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP in the Rajya Sabha, has been named the new Chairman of the Committee on Petitions in the Upper House. This appointment was part of a reconstitution of the panel by Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan on May 20. The Committee’s other members include Jebi Mather Hisham, Harsh Mahajan, Gulam Ali, Mayankkumar Nayak, Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha, Subhasish Khuntia, Rwngwra Narzary, Sandosh Kumar P., and Shambhu Sharan Patel.
Raghav Chadha’s new role as Chairman of the committee follows his recent switch from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP, along with six other MPs in the Upper House. In April, seven Rajya Sabha MPs, including Chadha, defected from the AAP to the BJP, significantly reducing the AAP’s strength in the Upper House. Chadha also raised concerns about the alleged misuse of state resources by the AAP-led government in Punjab, meeting with President Droupadi Murmu on the matter.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticized Chadha and the other MPs who joined the BJP, accusing them of disrespecting the people’s mandate. Mann emphasized that those who justify such defections are undermining democracy. He described the MPs who switched parties as traitors to Punjab and Punjabis, stating that they deserve no leniency for their actions.
