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‘Embarrassing, awkward controversies, no option’: AAP says Gahlot was under CBI-ED pressure; BJP questions Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi government
Kailash Gahlot and Arvind Kejriwal (PTI Image)
Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot on Sunday resigned from the ministry and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), stating that he had “no option” but to do so amid the “embarrassing and awkward controversies” and the failure of the Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi government to fulfil the promises made to citizens.
The transport minister has been a part of Kejriwal’s government since 2015. He posted the two resignations – from the party and from the cabinet – on the social media platform X.
In his letter to Kejriwal issued on Sunday, Gahlot thanked the former chief minister for giving him the honour of serving and representing the people of Delhi as an MLA and a minister.
“I had started my political journey with the commitment to serve the people of Delhi and I want to continue doing that. Which is why, I find myself left with no option but to step away from AAP and hence I resign from primary membership of Aam Aadmi Party,” he wrote.
CITES YAMUNA, SHEESH MAHAL
“Take for example the Yamuna, which we had promised to transform into a clean river, but never got around to doing it,” said Gahlot, adding that the Yamuna river is perhaps even more polluted than before.
The Najafgarh MLA went on to say that there are many “embarrassing and awkward controversies” such as the ‘Sheesh Mahal’, which are now making everyone doubt whether they still believe in being the Aam Aadmi.
“Another painful point has been the fact that instead of fighting for people’s rights we have increasingly only been fighting for our own political agenda. This has severely crippled our ability to even deliver basic services to the people of Delhi,” he said.
THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
Gahlot said it was obvious that real progress for Delhi cannot happen if the Delhi government spends a majority of its time fighting with the centre.
“However, at the same time, I also want to share with you that today the Aam Aadmi Party faces grave challenges. Challenges from within, to the very values that brought us together to AAP. Political ambitions have overtaken our commitment towards people, leaving many promises unfulfilled,” the letter said.
The assembly polls are due in Delhi in the next few weeks. The term of the current assembly will end in February 2025. Gahlot’s exit comes weeks after party Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal turned rebel, although she remains an MP from the party.
AAP’S RESPONSE
While Gahlot’s response was awaited, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said that Gahlot has to go to the BJP as he was facing raids from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income tax (I-T) department.
“In the past few months, Kailash ji was facing raids from the ED and I-T almost every day. He had no other option left. He had to go to the BJP. This is clear that the BJP is losing the elections in Delhi. Today, they don’t have any other issue. They are contesting the elections in Delhi with the help of ED-CBI,” Pathak said.
Echoing the same sentiments, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, “The BJP has succeeded in its tactics and I feel Kailash Gahlot was under a lot of pressure from ED and IT.”
On the various allegations leveled by the Najafgarh MLA, Singh said it was a script of the BJP that he is using. “The way the BJP prepared the script and the kind of pressure Gahlot was under, he had to say these things,” Singh added.
Gahlot has not announced yet any plan to join the BJP.
BJP RAISES QUESTIONS ON AAP
BJP leader Kapil Mishra welcomed the resignation and said that Gahlot’s remarks in the letter to Kejriwal raise serious questions about the AAP and Delhi government.
#WATCH | On the resignation of Delhi minister and AAP leader Kailash Gahlot, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva says “Kailash Gahlot has shown the mirror to Arvind Kejriwal and told him that he does not want to be a part of Arvind Kejriwal and his ‘lootera’ gang…Kailash… pic.twitter.com/EPvNX6c9Pl— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2024
“Kailash Gahlot’s resignation is a welcome step and what he wrote in the letter is serious. The sitting minister is saying that due to Arvind Kejriwal’s corruption, staying in government is getting impossible. This is the situation in every street of Delhi where AAP’s workers are leaving the party,” Mishra said in a video.
