NEW DELHI: Senior AAP functionary Kailash Gahlot on Sunday stepped down from his ministerial positions and resigned from the party, sparking speculation about his potential move to BJP ahead of upcoming Delhi assembly polls.
Gahlot, AAP's Jat face in the city and twice MLA from Najafgarh, was a minister since 2017 and in charge of key portfolios in Delhi government, including home, transport, IT and women and child development. CM Atishi accepted his resignation, official sources said.
In his resignation letter to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Gahlot claimed the party had drifted from its core values. He wrote: "Today, AAP faces grave challenges... to the values that brought us together to (the party)." Saying that many promises have been unfulfilled as a result, he added: "Take for example the Yamuna, which we had promised to transform into a clean river, but never got around to doing it. Now, the river is perhaps even more polluted than ever."
Gahlot also appeared to take a jab at Kejriwal. "Apart from this, now there are many... controversies like 'sheeshmahal'..." he said. His reference to the issue comes against the backdrop of BJP functionaries using the term to charge that Kejriwal spent crores on lavish items and modern facilities at his former official residence at 6 Flagstaff Road.
In his letter, Gahlot further claimed "fighting for our own political agenda... has severely crippled our ability to even deliver basic services to the people of Delhi. It is now obvious that real progress for Delhi cannot happen if Delhi government spends majority of its time fighting with the Centre."
In his exit letter, Gahlot refers to controversies
Saying that many promises have been unfulfilled as a result, Gahlot added: “Take for example the Yamuna, which we had promised to transform into a clean river, but never got around to doing it. Now, the river is perhaps even more polluted than ever before.
Gahlot also appeared to take a jab at Kejriwal. “Apart from this, now there are many… controversies like ‘sheeshmahal’...” he said. His reference to the issue comes against the backdrop of BJP functionaries using the term to charge that Kejriwal spent crores on lavish items and modern facilities at his former official residence at 6 Flagstaff Road.
Gahlot, who hails from Najafgarh, joined the party ahead of the 2015 assembly polls. A lawyer by profession, he was inducted into Delhi cabinet in 2017 following the removal of Ka pil Mishra.
AAP functionaries claimed that Gahlot was facing Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation cases and he had no option left but to join BJP. The party alleged that it was "dirty political conspiracy" of BJP as it wanted to win Delhi assembly polls by misusing the ED and CBI.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva welcomed Gahlot's resignation, saying he had taken a brave step. "Gahlot stepped down raising the same issues for which BJP was protesting and fighting against Kejriwal and AAP. His resignation proves that even AAP functionaries do not consider Kejriwal as an honest politician," Sachdeva said.
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav said, “We have received information that Kailash Gahlot submitted his resignation, and he has made some clear allegations against the party. He has pointed towards the pollution in the Yamuna and the controversies around 'Sheeshmahal'. AAP leaders are now either leaving the party or are getting arrested on corruption charges. AAP has now become a sinking ship.”
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