Giving a big jolt to the Aam Admi Party (AAP) following the arrest of its chief and Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal, Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Wednesday resigned from the Cabinet and quit the AAP, alleging Dalits were not given representation in the party. This is notably the first resignation from the Arvind Kejriwal government after the Delhi CM was arrested on March 21
An MLA from the Patel Nagar Vidhan Sabha constituency, he won the 2020 Delhi Assembly Election from the Patel Nagar seat by defeating BJP Pravesh Ratn with a margin of over 30,000 votes. He became the Delhi Cabinet minister in November, 2022. He was also having additional charge of Labour and Employment, SC and ST, Land and Building, Cooperative and Gurudwara Elections departments.
Soon after announcing his resignation, Anand said, “AAP is neck-deep in corruption. And I can’t talk work with corrupt people. The connection with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal happened because he had said ‘Rajniti badlegi toh desh badlega‘…Today politics hasn’t changed but the politician has. I have sent my resignation to the chief minister’s office.”
“We have 13 Rajya Sabha MPs, but none of them are Dalit, women or from backward classes. There is no respect for Dalit MLAs, councillors and ministers in this party. In such a situation, all Dalits feel cheated. Due to all this, it is difficult for me to remain in this party,” he added.
However, AAP claimed that the resignation of Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand vindicates its stand that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was aimed at finishing the party, and accused the BJP of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI to “break our ministers and MLAs”.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “It is ‘agnipariksha’ (trial by fire) of AAP ministers and MLAs,” he said. He said although the resignation may demotivate some party workers, the party will stand strong against attempts to break the organisation.
Singh said earlier the BJP used to call Anand corrupt “when a raid was conducted against him by the ED but now the party will welcome him into its fold with garlands”.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that Anand may have been coerced to quit the AAP and added that the party will not call him a “betrayer.” “He is a family man and has kids and relatives. Not everyone is Sanjay Singh and they can rot in jail for so many days,” Bharadwaj added.
