In a big blow to the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of next year's Assembly election, its senior leader and Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot tendered his resignation from the party on Sunday. He also resigned from his ministerial post. His resignation was accepted by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.
Gahot raises several issues in his resignation letter
In his resignation letter addressed to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Gahlot highlighted unfulfilled promises and recent controversies as reasons for his decision. Gahlot, a key figure in the AAP government, criticised the party's inability to deliver on crucial commitments made to the people of Delhi. Among the issues raised in his letter was the failure to clean the Yamuna River, a key election promise. "We promised the people to transform Yamuna into a clean river, but never got around doing it. Now the Yamuna River is perhaps even more polluted than ever before."
Gahot raises question on Kejriwal's Sheeshmahal
In addition to criticising the failure to deliver on key election pledges, Gahlot also addressed the controversy surrounding Kejriwal’s new official bungalow. "There are many embarrassing and awkward controversies like the 'SHEESHMAHAL', which are now making everyone doubt whether we still believe in being the AAM AADMI," he added.
Gahlot further lamented the continuous friction between the Delhi government and the central government, which he claimed has severely hampered the capital's progress. "Another painful point has been the fact that instead of fighting for people's rights we have increasingly only been fighting for our own political agenda. This 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 the Delhi Government spends the majority of its time fighting with the Centre. "I had started my political journey with the commitment to serve the people of Delhi and I want to continue doing that. Which is why, I find myself left with no option but to step away from AAP and hence I resign from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party," Gehlot added in his letter.
Delhi BJP chief hits out at AAP
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party following senior leader Kailash Gahlot’s resignation. Sachdeva claimed that Gahlot’s allegations confirmed what the BJP had been stating about AAP’s governance failures and dishonesty.
Speaking to the media, Sachdeva remarked, “The accusations we have been making have been validated by Kailash Gahlot. AAP is a bundle of lies that is now unravelling. Leaders like Rajendra Pal Gautam, Rajkumar Anand, and now Kailash Gahlot have exposed the cracks within the party.” He further questioned the handling of funds allocated for cleaning the Yamuna River, a key promise of the AAP government. “The central government provided Rs 8,500 crore for cleaning the Yamuna. What happened to that money? AAP has only wasted Delhi’s resources,” Sachdeva alleged.
