Year ender 2022: Regular controversies with Lt Governor VK Saxena, ministers facing corruption charges, the row over one of its minister's presence at a religious event etc were among the controversies that surrounded the AAP government in Delhi in 2022. Before Anil Baijal resigned as the Lt Governor citing personal reasons on May 18, his five-year tenure was marked by frequent conflicts with the AAP dispensation on administrative jurisdiction and governance-related issues. During the tension between the AAP and the LG Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers also staged a 'dharna' outside his office in 2018.
Following Saxena's appointment as his successor, however, the conflict re-emerged. The Kejriwal government received a blow in July when Saxena recommended a CBI probe into its 2021-22 Excise Policy, alleging violations of rules and procedural lapses, as cited in a report by the chief secretary. The Delhi government withdrew the policy, launched last year to boost revenues and reform the liquor trade, that same month. The policy fell into further disrepute following CBI raids on Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's residence in August in connection with alleged irregularities in its execution. Other government schemes, including the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off…' and the 'Dilli Ki Yogshala', also triggered regular flashpoints.
The AAP dispensation faced embarrassment this year after a video of the-then Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam attending a religious event was widely circulated. The video showed hundreds pledging to convert to Buddhism and not consider Hindu deities as gods. Gautam resigned amid the controversy while the BJP used the issue to accuse Kejriwal of being 'anti-Hindu.'
Major blow on AAP
The Delhi government also suffered a jolt in May when the Enforcement Directorate arrested the then-health minister Satyendar Jain in connection with a money laundering case. To make matters worse for Jain, alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar wrote to Saxena in October, alleging that the minister had 'extorted' Rs 10 crore from him in 2019 to ensure his safety in prison.
A month later, in another perceived blow to the AAP regime, videos of Jain getting back and foot massages in his cell, reading documents and talking to visitors while lying on a bed came to the limelight. In one of the videos, he was seen getting a head massage while sitting on a chair. While Sisodia defended Jain and claimed that he was receiving physiotherapy following a spinal injury, BJP leaders alleged that he was getting massages from a rape accused.
Over seven months later, Jain remained in jail. While Sisodia has been taking care of Jain's portfolios, there is a chorus from the opposition for the removal of both over graft allegations. The BJP used the allegations extensively to target the AAP during campaigning for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls.
The AAP, however, received a shot in the arm as it ended the BJP's 15-year rule in the MCD earlier in December. The party secured 134 seats in the 250-member civic body. In March, Sisodia, unveiled the government's Rozgar Budget with the promise of creating 20 lakh jobs in the national capital in five years. He also announced a slew of steps to spice up the city's nightlife and promote the night economy. He also announced Delhi Shopping Festival to boost the retail market, Delhi Wholesale Shopping Festival for the wholesale market and decided to revamp five markets to develop the national capital into a tourist hub.
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