In a surprising turn of events, the National convener of Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal resorted to a surprise element at a press conference today, dodging questions regarding the sudden resignation of Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot.
The press meet was held to welcome the former BJP MLA Anil Jha into AAP, where Kejriwal instead deflected the questions to senior party leader Durgesh Pathak, who sat alongside him. When pressed for a straight comment, Kejriwal smiled and said the reporter was asking the question, and then he allowed Pathak to answer. Significantly, Kejriwal tried to confine his attack to the BJP sans making any mention of Gahlot’s resignation.
He said Gahlot was constantly being harassed for the past many months with questioning and raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax, due to which he submitted his resignation. He further said that through this game of harassment, the BJP has shown it has lost the impending Delhi elections. This, he said, should be contrasted with AAP’s focus on the people’s issues.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday termed the resignation of Gahlot a result of “dirty politics” by the BJP. He tweeted that Gahlot was compelled to resign because of pressure from ED and CBI. He further alleged that the BJP lured opposition leaders to its fold by using such agencies as a tool, popularly known as the “Modi Washing Machine”.
Gahlot’s resignation letter, shared on his social media, underlined the internal challenges within AAP, accusing the party of prioritizing its political ambitions over commitments towards the people. He referred to the unfulfilled promises, particularly on the pollution in the Yamuna River, and indicated various controversies that he felt demoralized the credibility of the party itself.
He furthered that AAP has become consumed by its political agenda, and he does not feel true progress for Delhi can be made amidst constant conflicts with the central government. At the end of the letter, he resigned from AAP and wished the party all the best.
The BJP wasted no time in capitalizing on Gahlot’s exit, as it cited party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla saying Gahlot’s criticisms represent AAP’s failure to deliver on its promises. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hailed Gahlot’s move as courageous, saying the latter exposed Kejriwal’s supposed misappropriation of public funds and that Gahlot would be welcomed into the BJP if he chose to join.
