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Informist, Sunday, Sep 15, 2024

 

NEW DELHI – Arvind Kejriwal today said that he will resign as the chief minister of Delhi in two days after his party chose a person to succeed him. The Supreme Court on Friday granted the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party interim bail in the Delhi liquor policy case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. However, the apex court said that Kejriwal will not visit the office of the chief minister and Delhi Secretariat and will not sign official files unless necessary for obtaining the Lieutenant Governor's approval.

 

Addressing workers at party headquarters, Kejriwal said he would demand an early election for Delhi in November, which is supposed to happen in February. Kejriwal said that he will accept the chief minister's post only if the people of Delhi certify his honesty in the Assembly elections.

 

"Some people say that we will not be able to work because of restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court. Even they did not leave any stone unturned in imposing restrictions on us..." said Kejriwal. "If you think I am honest, vote for me in large numbers. I will sit on the CM's chair only after being elected. The elections are supposed to be held in February. I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections," said Kejriwal. 

 

Kejriwal claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party wanted to break the AAP and form their government in Delhi. "They thought they would form a government in Delhi by sending Kejriwal to jail...But they couldn't break our party...They couldn't even break away from the party workers," said Kejriwal.

 

The AAP supremo further said that he did not resign from the chief minister's post while in jail because he wanted to protect the country's democracy. "They have made a new formula -- wherever they lose, they send the CM to jail and form their government," said Kejriwal. He also appealed to chief ministers of Opposition-ruled states not to resign if they were sent to jail on false charges.

 

Even as the apex court granted bail to Kejriwal, there were concerns about him being able to discharge his duties as chief minister. The immediate concern following his release was regarding the meetings of the Cabinet, the National Capital Civil Service Authority, and reorganisation of Delhi's Council of Ministers to include former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. After Kejriwal's release, AAP had said that the only files that are signed by the chief minister are those that have to go to the lieutenant governor, for which he has permission from the apex court and therefore, no work of the people of Delhi will stop.

 

Reacting to the development, BJP National spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari told news agency Asian News International that this was a "PR stunt" by Kejriwal. Kejriwal has understood that his image among the people of Delhi is not of an honest leader but of a corrupt one, and today AAP is known across the country as a corrupt party, said Bhandari. "Under his PR stunt, he wants to restore his image...It is clear that he wants to apply the Sonia Gandhi model, where she made Manmohan Singh a dummy prime minister and ran the government from behind the scenes. They have understood today that the Aam Aadmi Party is losing the Delhi elections and the people of Delhi cannot vote in their name, so they want to make someone else a scapegoat..." said Bhandari.

 

The government of Delhi had announced an excise policy in November 2021, allowing private companies to distribute liquor in the national capital. However, the policy was withdrawn after allegations of cartelisation and monopoly. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Mar 21 in connection with a money-laundering case stemming from the liquor policy case. Thereafter, the CBI arrested him on Jun 26.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Aditya Sakorkar

 

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