By Sushil Kutty
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha is in trouble. Five fellow Rajya Sabha MPs have asked for a privilege motion against Chadha for allegedly forging their signatures to a select committee proposal on the Delhi Services Bill which was passed in the Rajya Sabha late in the evening on August 7. They say it did not have their consent and consent is half the permission needed. Chadha himself appeared nonchalant and guilt-free. But what if the House finds Raghav Chadha guilty and the AAP politician gets the boot?
Besides, Raghav Chadha had recently got engaged to Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra and nobody knows how the bride-to-be will react; what if she dumps him for his alleged transgression and he ends up losing more than just his Rajya Sabha membership? Certainly, if “they” hang the “forgery” on him, his clean cut looks will be forever dented.
Also, it is difficult to imagine Raghav Chadha with a crooked bone in his body. How can such an individual be accused of forgery? Surely, Union Home Minister Amit Shah must be imagining things – Raghav Chadha ought to get the benefit of doubt. Which MP wouldn’t want to be in a parliamentary select committee?
Yup, which MP? In any case, the named MPs stood up to be counted only after Shah took note and raised Cain! For a while there, “without consent” became the most heard term. The breach of privilege motion was brought by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi. Others whose names were linked to the privilege motion included Narhari Amin, Sambit Patra, Thambidurai and Nagaland Rajya Sabha MP Phangnon Konyak.
All of them were allegedly taken aboard by Raghav Chadha “without their consent.” Some hadn’t put their signatures to the document. “Let the notice come, I will reply,” said Chadha. The AAP believes the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court would favour the Kejriwal government on the Delhi Services Bill. Monday, Chadha spoke in the Rajya Sabha and riled YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy who did not like his party being made the “target” of Chadha’s belief that parties siding with the BJP had their own narrow compulsions.
“I will give an answer to the Privileges Committee when they send a notice,” said Chadha. The Rajya Sabha Chairman will take action. Each MP has filed his individual complaint. All have alleged “fake signature”. AIADMK MP M Thambidurai wanted a probe. He swore he never signed on the dotted line. There are those who are asking what will happen to Raghav Chadha if the breach of privilege is proved? Actor Parineeti Chopra will be hurt to know: As it is a privilege, whoever is found responsible would be dismissed from the House.
But this fact seems not to have percolated to the recesses of Raghav Chadha’s fertile brain. He is behaving like the allegation of forgery is nothing but a pen going berserk. Even otherwise, Arvind Kejriwal’s party members aren’t bothered by what they do, and where? Another AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh spent most of the Monsoon Session banished from Parliament for slighting the very sensitive Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar sensitivities, and now this whole thing about Raghav Chadha losing control of his pen!
Problem is, the AAP is the youngest party with energetic people in its ranks. It is also the fastest growing political party by any yardstick – the quickest to become a national party and also the one to score stupendous electoral victories in Delhi and Punjab; trouncing the mighty election juggernaut of the Modi-Shah variant several times. Delhi became a battleground for the BJP primarily because the AAP has time and again defeated the BJP in this state that is not a state and Prime Minister Narendra Modi can’t do a thing about it. Be sure, the Modi-Shah combine will make an example of Raghav Chadha. Parineeti Chopra should factor in BJP hate for AAP when judging Raghav Chadha’s alleged transgressions, real or imaginary. (IPA Service)
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