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If People Have Right to Elect, They Have Right to De-Elect Leaders: Raghav Chadha

Raghav Chadha in Rajya Sabha: If they have a right to elect leaders, they should have a right to de-elect leaders, too! Demands accountability and Right to Recall. Sparks creates a big controversy on democratic power in 2026!

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By Jigyasa Sain | Faridabad, Haryana | Politics - 12 February 2026

The debate in the Parliament over the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address on February 10, 2026, was a sharp one, with AAP MP Raghav Chadha initiating a debate on the same. Chadha came out expressly in his address to challenge the position of the government regarding democratic accountability by posing the question:

When people of India are entitled to choose leaders, then are they not entitled to de-choose the same when they are not performing well?

His statement was amidst the current political scandals, such as the Delhi excise policy scandal, suspension of opposition members of the parliament, and constant arguments of abuse of central agencies against opposition leaders. Chadha believed that democracy cannot be simply about voting once every five years, but it should also have the mechanisms through which citizens can check on the elected representatives in office in case of betraying the people's trust or poor performance.

The main highlights of the speech were given by Raghav Chadha.

  • Right to Recall: He cited the age-old request of a Right to Recall law in India—a law that has granted citizens the power to displace an elected official before their term ends through a formal law (as was done in certain states in the US and Switzerland).
  • Democratic Deficit: Chadha asserted that a recurrent application of agency raids, suspension tactics, and disqualification of opposition members is causing an administrative void of democracy in which the electoral voices are suppressed, a right of the populace to vote and to oust leaders.
  • People’s Power: He emphasized that sovereignty belonged to people and not to any party or government. The Constitution starts with "We the people"—not "We the government." When we can elect, then we can and must also de-elect when trust is violated.
  • Historical Context: He made comparisons with movements and leaders in previous times, who struggled to make governments more accountable, and reminded the House that democracy works by the existence of checks and balances, not by one-man rule.

The remark caused furious reactions:

  • The members of the BJP alleged that Chadha was attempting to cripple the ruling system and the recall would not be possible in a large, diverse country such as India.
  • The sentiment was endorsed by opposition MPs such as the Congress MPs and TMC MPs, who demanded electoral reforms such as state funding of elections, the right to recall, and amendments to the anti-defection law.
  • Social media burst with the hashtags of RightToDeElect and RecallOurLeaders, as lots of netizens posted memes and videos of the speech by Chadha.

Although the right to recall has long been debated in India (in 1990 and 2015, the Law Commission recommended against it, citing logistical and political risks), Chadha made the concept particularly sharp, which makes the topic timely in a nation where the citizenry is angry with the lack of political responsibility.

This intrusion by the young AAP leader made him a strong advocate of democratic changes and empowerment of citizens in Parliament.


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