Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain resign from Delhi Cabinet
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Minister Satyendar Jain, arrested on corruption allegations, resigned from the Arvind Kejriwal government on Tuesday with the AAP saying that the move was not an acceptance of guilt but just an "administrative step".
Kejriwal accepted the resignations of his two trusted aides, who were credited by the party as the key to education and health reforms in the capital, but decided not to induct fresh faces at the moment as it was too early to do so, sources said.
The announcement of resignations came soon after the Supreme Court refused to entertain a bail plea by Sisodia. The apex court said he could approach the Delhi High Court first.
Nixing speculation that Kejriwal may take some of the key ministries under his belt, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj told reporters that two new ministers will be sworn in “soon” for practical reasons while insisting that the party, leaders and workers stand in full solidarity with the duo.
Initially, AAP sources said that the Chief Minister has assigned departments handled by Sisodia to Kailash Gahlot and Raj Kumar Anand. After his arrest in May last year, Jain’s departments were handled by Sisodia. Kejriwal remains without portfolio.
Considered a crucial person in implementing AAP’s governance model, Sisodia, who was arrested in the Delhi excise policy case on Sunday, was handling 18 out of 33 departments, including finance, education and health in the government. He had taken over the portfolios held by Jain, including Home and Health, after the latter’s arrest though he remained a minister.
Sisodia’s arrest came days before he was to present the capital’s budget, which now Revenue Minister Gahlot is likely to do.
In his resignation letter, Sisodia said he has served the capital with dedication. "There are likely to be more cases against me. God knows these allegations are false," Sisodia, who is presently in CBI custody, said in his resignation letter.
AAP said both the ministers were innocent and the resignations were in no case an admission of guilt. Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “the work of Delhi should not be interrupted, so Kejriwal-ji accepted the resignations. The public is watching BJP’s dirty politics and they will reply in elections.”
However, the BJP did not share this view with senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad claiming that the "flag bearers of the fight against corruption" have been exposed. "Today, I must say that 3C-cut, commission and corruption also apply to the AAP. AAP leaders have defamed the anti-corruption agitation led by Anna Hazare," he said.
Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said, "BJP's struggle has borne fruits. We had been demanding that Sisodia and Jain would have to resign and also go to jail. Out of embarrassment, Kejriwal had to accept their resignations. This is a victory of BJP workers, a victory of truth."
The arrest of Sisodia, the second-most important leader in AAP after Kejriwal, comes as a jolt to the party as he gave the Delhi Chief Minister manoeuvring space to engage in political work to expand the party's footprints without bothering about administration.
There was speculation that Kejriwal will take charge of some of the crucial departments to shepherd the administration in the absence of his two close aides.
Sisodia was to present the Delhi budget but his arrest by the CBI on Sunday in the Delhi excise policy case changed the situation. Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case in May last year and his nine ministries were given to Sisodia, who was handling 18 out of 33 departments in the Delhi government at the time of his resignation.
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