‘Airport samosas’, prepaid recharge: 7 ‘soft’ issues Raghav Chadha raised in Parliament

RAghav Chadha, erstwhile seen as a come together intimate of Aam Aadmi company chief Arvind Kejriwal and a francis scott key figure in the party’s Delhi and Punjab affairs, now finds himself in the midst of alleged internal tussle – questioning, “Did I commit any offence?”Soon after being removed as the Rajya Sabha deputy leader, Chadha said he had been “silenced,” as he consistently raised issues that directly affect people’s daily lives, even if they are often overlooked in political discourse.The AAP leadership, however, has pushed back, accusing him of focusing on “soft PR” instead of raising hard-hitting political issues in Parliament out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fear. Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised Chadha for not taking on the BJP-led Centre strongly enough.Here’s a look at the so-called “soft” issues like “samosas” that Raghav Chadha has raised in Parliament recently.1. Paternity leave and shared caregivingOne of the issues Chadha flagged in Parliament recently was the need for legal recognition of paternity leave.“I demanded in Parliament that paternity leave should be a legal right in India,” he said, arguing that caregiving responsibilities should not fall solely on women.“A father should not have to choose between caregiving for his newborn and keeping his job… And a mother should not have to go through childbirth & recovery without her husband’s support.”He stressed that “caregiving is a shared responsibility” and that laws must reflect this reality.2. Traffic crisis in metro citiesChadha also raised concerns over worsening traffic congestion in major cities.“Traffic has turned our metro cities into giant parking lots with people trapped inside them,” he said, pointing to cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. He said the commuters in these parts of country spend “100 to 168 hours a year stuck in traffic”.“Every hour lost is an hour India cannot get back,” he added, calling for a “National Urban Decongestion Mission” with better public transport, smarter traffic systems and a scientific parking policy.3. 28-day monthly recharge and ‘use it or lose it’ dataA significant chunk of Chadha’s interventions focused on telecom practices, particularly prepaid users.“Telecom companies offer Recharge Plans with ‘Daily Data Limits’. Any Unused Data expires at midnight, despite being fully paid for,” he said.“You are billed for 2GB. The remaining 0.5GB disappears as day ends. No refund. No rollover. Just gone. This is not an accident. This is policy.” He questioned why paid data should be forfeited and demanded that unused data be carried forward. The AAP leader also flagged what he called the “28-Day ‘Monthly’ Recharge scam”.“Telecom companies call their plans ‘monthly’, but they last only 28 days,” he said, noting that users effectively pay for 13 recharges a year. He urged the companies to align plans with 30–31 day cycles.4. Menstrual health and dignityOn social issues, Chadha highlighted gaps in menstrual health infrastructure.“When a girl misses school because there is no pad, no water, no bin and no privacy, that is not her personal problem. That is a failure of our system,” he said.“Menstrual health is not a favour… It is a matter of health, education, equality and dignity. Women do not need sympathy. Women need rights.”5. Airport food and ‘Udaan Yatri Cafes’One term that AAP leaders used to question Chadha on Friday over his silence against the central government was “samosa” — an Indian snack. The AAP leaders were referencing to raising concerns about expensive food at airports flagged by Raghav Chadha.“Air travellers have long complained about the high cost of food at airports,” he said, while welcoming the government’s Udaan Yatri Cafes initiative in the ongoing Budget Session.However, he flagged two gaps: limited presence across airports and their placement outside security areas.“Affordable food at airports should not be a luxury. It is a basic convenience for travellers,” he said. Days later, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the expansion of Udaan Yatri cafes.On March 30, Chadha shared a video of him visiting the Udaan Yatri café at Maharashtra's Mumbai airport and had chai for just ₹10.“Was flying to Delhi and wanted chai before the flight. Spoke to several travellers while I was there. All of them happy, all of them saying the same thing: Easy on the pocket, good service, value for money. Affordable airport food is possible. And this is proof,” he said.6. Right to recall and political accountabilityIn a broader political reform pitch, Chadha advocated for a “right to recall”. “If voters can hire a neta, they should be able to fire the neta too,” he said.Arguing that five years is too long to wait for accountability, he pointed out that several democracies already have recall mechanisms, while adding that safeguards would be necessary to prevent misuse.7. Gig workers and ground realityChadha also spoke about gig economy workers on multiple occasions, stressing “fair wages, humane hours and basic safeguards”.He even spent a day with a delivery worker to understand their challenges, backing demands for better pay and benefits, and calling for the removal of ultra-fast delivery pressures like 10-minute services.