Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he would resign as the Delhi Chief Minister in the next two days and return to the post only after receiving a “certificate of honesty” from the people of the national capital. Sounding the poll bugle months ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, due in February next year, Kejriwal demanded an early poll.
He termed his decision to step down from the post of CM “agnipariksha” after coming out of jail following six-month incarceration in the Delhi excise policy “scam” case. Just two days after the Supreme Court granted him regular bail in the case, Kejriwal’s announcement sent shock waves within AAP and the entire political spectrum with the BJP terming it a publicity stunt.
Addressing party workers for the first time at AAP’s new headquarters, the CM said, “Today, I have come to the people’s court… main desh ki janata se janana chahata huin kya aap Kejriwal ko imaandaar maante ho ya gunehgaar (I want to ask the people of the country whether they consider Kejriwal honest or guilty).” “I will sit in the CM’s chair only after people give me a certificate of honesty. I want to give ‘agnipariksha’ after coming out of jail…I will become the CM and Manish Sisodia the Deputy CM only when people say we are honest and they vote for us,” Kejriwal said.
He said elections in Delhi were due in February, but these should be held in November along with Maharashtra – an announcement which the BJP dismissed saying, “Scheduling elections is the remit of the Election Commission.” Accusing the BJP of trying to paint him as corrupt, Kejriwal said, “Why did they (BJP) send me to jail? They know very well that I haven’t committed any corruption. Their goal was to break AAP and crush my spirit. They thought by sending me to jail, the party would fall apart and they could form a BJP government in Delhi. However, our party didn’t break. AAP is standing strong against their grand conspiracies.”
The AAP chief recalled his 2014 resignation after 49 days of assuming power and said, “I have no lust for position or power.” He said had he wanted money, he would have never quit as IT Commissioner.
“When I quit the job, there was no party, no future. I never thought I would be CM one day. I had a singular passion – to serve the country,” Kejriwal said, adding that he did not resign earlier (when he was arrested) because he had respect for democracy and the Constitution.
Kejriwal announced he would convene a meeting of the AAP MLAs in a couple of days and a party leader would assume charge as the CM.
The SC, in its orders on Friday, had set conditions for Kejriwal’s bail, one of these being that he could not visit the Delhi secretariat nor could he sign official files other than those that required the approval of the Lieutenant Governor. Kejriwal did not hold any portfolios in the Delhi Government.
I resigned as CM in 2014 after remaining in power for 49 days due to my principles. No one sought my resignation. I do not have a lust for power. – Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav on Sunday criticised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation as a “political drama,” stating that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had lost the “moral right” to continue in office.
The Congress leader stated that Arvind Kejriwal’s decision came after the Supreme Court imposed several restrictions on him following a corruption case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
The Delhi Congress chief claimed that the Chief Minister’s resignation was a “political stunt” aimed at gaining sympathy ahead of the assembly elections. “This will not impact the elections as people are aware of AAP’s misgovernance. They will seek change,” Devendra Yadav remarked.
The Congress leader further questioned why Kejriwal delayed his resignation, stating that it should have come immediately after his release from jail, considering the constraints placed on him by the apex court. “Kejriwal should have resigned as soon as he came out of jail, as there was no point in clinging to the post of CM with the apex court putting a lot of restrictions on him. Why is he waiting for two days?” he asked.
