Arvind Kejriwal submits resignation to L-G Saxena | Highlights

Earlier today, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said, “The world’s most corrupt and misleading person is Arvind Kejriwal. He created a drama of resignation. Today, the CM designate (Atishi) said that Kejriwal is the real CM, and he is the only person who is the (Delhi) CM. This means that democracy and the democratic process have been made a joke.”

- PTI

Bansuri Swaraj, BJP MP and daughter of former Delhi CM Sushma Swaraj, said that she was disappointed when Atishi said that there is only one CM.

“It seems that she is only going to sit on the chair of the CM, without actually taking responsibility that comes with that position, and it also appears that now Mr. Kejriwal will enjoy the fruits of power without any responsibility,” she said.

“This is downright murder of democracy,” she added.

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CPM leader Brinda Karat on the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM and proposal of Atishi as the new CM.

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Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav congratulated Atishi on being designated Delhi’s Chief Minister, calling her “combative” and ‘‘determined’‘.

He said she has to continue public service and on the other face BJP’s “negative politics”.

“Best wishes to Atishi ji for fulfilling the responsibility she has been given as the new Chief Minister of Delhi! On one hand she has to continue her work of public service, and on the other hand she has to face the negative politics of the BJP. As a combative and determined young chief minister, may she be successful in every role of hers!” Mr. Yadav posted in Hindi on X.

Delhi Chief Minister-designate Atishi will have to hit the ground running to accelerate the city government’s functioning and ensure that the flagship projects and schemes are back on track in view of the assembly polls due in February.

The AAP government, whose functioning was affected due to five-month imprisonment of outgoing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been struggling to address issues related to basic services and infra that include roads, water supply and sewer, and medicines due to alleged fund crunch.

Ms. Atishi will have to deal with these and much more during her short span of chief ministership, apart from ensuring implementation of Mr. Kejriwal’s promise to provide ₹1,000 honorarium to eligible women in Delhi under ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana’.

Ms. Atishi asserted that she would protect the interests of Delhi people, alleging the BJP would try to “obstruct” the AAP government’s welfare schemes like free electricity supply, facilities at hospitals, and free bus rides for women.

The immediate task before Ms. Atishi will be the formation of a new Cabinet in consultation with the party, holding of crucial National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) meeting for Group A postings, resuming the doorstep delivery of services scheme, approval of Delhi EV Policy 2.0 and Solar Policy, among others, officials said.

- PTI

“...This resignation is delayed. Delhi has been without a CM for the last 6 months. It is visible that ego is bigger for Arvind Kejriwal...Now when all of his ways were closed then he decided to bring Atishi as CM,” BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said.

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A Delhi court on dismissed AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s two petitions challenging the summons issued to him on complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

Special Judge Rakesh Syal dismissed the revision petition filed by Kejriwal, saying there was sufficient ground to proceed against him.

Mr. Kejriwal had moved the sessions court against an order passed by a magisterial court directing him to appear before it on the ED’s complaint.

The outgoing Delhi chief minister had challenged the summons issued by the magisterial court after taking cognisance of two complaints filed by the ED over avoidance of summons issued to him.

The ED had filed complaints before the magisterial court seeking prosecution of Mr. Kejriwal for skipping multiple summonses issued to him in the case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

- PTI

BJP lead Shazia Ilmi said that she thinks Atishi was a safe bet for the Aam Admi Party.

“This is another of Arvind Kejriwal’s tactics. He could have done this five months ago,” she added.

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Delhi CM-designate Atishi, after meeting LG Vinai Saxena, said that false corruption charges were levelled against Kejriwal.

“The decision taken by Arvind Kejriwal is one of its kind in the democratic history of the world. He said the Supreme Court verdict is not enough for him, he wants to know the verdict of the people of Delhi, and that he will sit on the CM chair only when the public says that he is honest...,” she added.

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Changing the face of the Chief Minister will not change the character of the AAP, the BJP said insisting that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is still answerable for 10 years of corruption under its rule in Delhi.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s reaction came after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it will stake a claim to form a new government under senior party leader Ms. Atishi following Mr. Kejriwal’s resignation from the post in the evening.

“’Chehara badalane se AAP ka charitra nahi badalega’ (changing the face does not change AAP’s character)... Considering Kejriwal’s 10 years of corruption, whoever is the CM will have to tell people how they looted the people of Delhi,” Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said.

“They have indulged in corruption in every department and now the people will give them an answer for that corruption,” he added.

Hitting out at Mr. Kejriwal, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla said, “Earlier we had a chief minister operating from jail who then became a chief minister on bail. Now it is being said that a proxy chief minister, a lame duck, is being brought at the helm”.

He claimed that the AAP’s character will not change with Ms. Atishi replacing Mr. Kejriwal as Delhi’s Chief Minister.

- PTI

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Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal claimed that AAP leader Atishi, who has been chosen as Delhi’s new chief minister, will be a “dummy” CM.

Reacting to the allegations, AAP leader Dilip Pandey said if Ms. Maliwal has a little bit of shame, she should quit the Upper House seat.

“Today, it is a very sad day for Delhi. A woman is going to be the chief minister of Delhi whose family fought for terrorist Afzal Guru in order to save him from capital punishment,” Ms. Maliwal alleged.

“Her parents sent mercy petition to the President of India several times that Guru should not be hanged, he is innocent and has become the victim of a political conspiracy,” Ms. Maliwal added.

Reacting to Maliwal’s allegations, Timarpur MLA Dilip Pandey stated that Maliwal is a person who takes ticket from the AAP to go to Rajya Sabha, but takes the script from the BJP to speak.

“I want to say that if she (Maliwal) has a little bit of shame, she should give up her AAP’s Rajya Sabha ticket and should resign from the post of member of Parliament. She should ask for ticket from the BJP for the Rajya Sabha if she has a desire to be there,” Mr. Pandey said.

- PTI

Atishi (43) will be Delhi’s youngest Chief Minister and is also set to become the second current woman chief minister in the country after West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee.

The other two women CMs of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit and Sushma Swaraj were 60 and 46 years old respectively, when they held the post.

-PTI

Atishi, speaking outside LG’s house, says, “for the AAP and the people of Delhi this is a sad moment that Arvind Kejriwal has resigned. People know that if we don’t have a CM like Kejriwal we will not get free water, electricity, healthcare, good schools and other facilities. We will ensure that the work of the Delhi government continues and that the BJP does not conspire to stop these schemes. Mr. Kejriwal will be back as Chief Minister after the people elect him back.”

Arvind Kejriwal tenders his resignation to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, AAP sources say.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai, addressing the media, confirms that Kejriwal has submitted his resignation. Rai further says, Atishi has also submitted her request to stake claim to form the government as quickly as possible.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reached the LG Secretariat, with his Cabinet colleagues, to tender his resignation.

AAP leader Atishi, who was earlier in the day chosen as Kejriwal’s successor at a legislature party meeting, was also accompanying him.

He said he would only sit on the CM’s chair when the people give him a “certificate of honesty”.

- PTI

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday congratulated AAP leader Atishi on being chosen as the next Delhi chief minister and wished that she would effectively take on dictatorial forces and work towards a developed National Capital. 

“Many congratulations @AtishiAAP Ji. Wish you would take effectively on dictatorial forces and work towards a developed and dynamic Dilli,” Mr. Singhvi, a Rajya Sabha MP of the Congress, said in a post on X.

Mr. Singhvi tagged a September 14 post by Atishi in which she had said, “Dr. Singhvi: We will always be indebted to you for leading this legal fight against a dictatorial govt, that was out to crush.”

You can change the face but not the party’s character, Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva said.

He said the people of Delhi know that Arvind Kejriwal, who proposed her name as his successor, has looted Delhi.

“They have indulged in corruption in every department and now the people will give them an answer for that corruption,” Mr. Sachdeva said.

“Chehara badalane se AAP ka charitra nahi badalega (changing the face does not change AAP’s character)... Considering Kejriwal’s 10 years of corruption, whoever is the CM will have to tell people how they looted the people of Delhi,” Mr. Sachdeva alleged.

- PTI

In her first remarks after being designated the next chief minister of Delhi, senior AAP leader Atishi on Tuesday said she was sad that party supremo Arvind Kejriwal was resigning from the post, and added that she will work towards bringing him back as CM.

Atishi, who currently holds several portfolios in the Delhi government, said only a party like Aam Aadmi Party would have given a “first-time politician” like her such responsibilities. “I will work with one goal for the next few months to bring back Kejriwal on chief minister’s post. I will work as chief minister under Arvind Kejriwal’s guidance and protect the people of Delhi,” Atishi said addressing a press conference.

Atishi thanked ‘guru’ Kejriwal after she was named new CM of Delhi. “I will work under Arvind Kejriwal’s guidance, protect people of Delhi,” said the designated Delhi CM.

“Only possible in AAP and under Kejriwal’s leadership that a first-time politician has become CM. I am happy, but also sad that my elder brother Arvind Kejriwal is resigning today,” Atishi on being designated Delhi CM.

The name Atishi Marlena first surfaced in news when she was made special advisor to the then Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. She famously earned ₹1 for the role.

Atishi was among 10 people named special advisors. She was assisting Mr. Sisodia in “educational reforms”. It was during this term, the AAP government introduced the ‘happiness’ curriculum in Delhi government-run schools.

Her term didn’t last long as the MHA pointed out that the 10 posts were not among the list of posts approved for the Chief Minister and Ministers of Delhi. Delhi being a Union Territory needs Central government’s approval for creating new posts. Mr. Sisodia claimed the sole aim of MHA notice was to remove Ms. Atishi from the post.

“BJP put false cases on Arvind Kejriwal and kept him inside jail for six months,” Atishi told the media after the meeting of AAP MLAs.

“Finally, the Supreme Court gave him bail and called central government’s investigative agencies a caged parrot. And Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest is wrong,” she said.

“What Arvind Kejriwal did after that must have not been done by anyone in the world. He said that I’ll be Chief Minister only after people of Delhi say that ‘I’m honest and elect me as CM’.”

—Nikhil M. Babu

Following her election as Chief Minister of Delhi by AAP MLAs, Atishi addressed the media:

“First of all, I thank Delhi’s beloved Chief Minister and my guru, Arvind Kejriwal for giving me such a big responsibility. Today he has given me the responsibility to be the CM.”

“I’m happy that he has shown so much faith in me. But I’m even more sad that Delhi’s beloved CM and my big brother Arvind Kejriwal is resigning today.”

“I want to say this on behalf of the MLAs and people of Delhi: There is only one Chief Minister of Delhi and that is Arvind Kejriwal.”

—Nikhil M. Babu

A controversy broke out in 2018 when Atishi dropped her “foreign sounding” surname. She was AAP’s East Delhi candidate and was facing Gautam Gambhir of BJP. Though the BJP won the seat, her surname and religion was raised during the poll campaign. 

She had been given the name Marlena, referring to Marx and Lenin, by her parents, Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi who were professors. 

Coming to her aid, Manish Sisodia posted her caste and religion on X, then known as Twitter, only to face Election Commission’s action for violation of model code of conduct.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders said the Delhi Assembly will be convened on September 26 and 27.

After Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation this evening, a delegation of AAP legislators will meet the lt governor to stake claim for formation of a new government led by Atishi, party leader Gopal Rai told reporters. 

-PTI

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai said the Arvind Kejriwal will first submit his resignation to the L-G at 4:30 p.m. today. “After that, Atishi will submit the decision of the AAP legislative party to the L-G,” he said.

He added that a decision about the new cabinet would be taken later.

—Nikhil M. Babu

“Today, at the meeting of MLAs, it was decided that till Assembly election, till when people of Delhi elect Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Minister again, Atishi ji will take the responsibility of Chief Minister,” said Delhi Minister Gopal Rai.

— Nikhil M. Babu

Atishi or Atishi Marlena Singh has been with the Aam Aadmi Party since its inception. She was elected from Kalkaji constituency. She was inducted into the Delhi Cabinet after the resignation of Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain following their arrest. 

Atishi holds several important portfolios including Education, PWD, Tourism and Culture. 

She will be the third woman Chief Minister of the Union Territory after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. 

Atishi, who has been proposed by Arvind Kejriwal as the next Delhi CM, is currently a cabinet Minister in the Delhi government and holds many important portfolios including education, PWD, and power.

She is the MLA from Kalkaji, Delhi. She has been involved with the party since 2013.

At a meeting with MLAs, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal proposed the name of Atishi as the new Chief Minister of Delhi.

It was approved by all MLAs.

Atishi has been selected as leader of AAP legislative party.

— Nikhil M. Babu

AAP’s legislative party meeting to choose Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s replacement begins.

-PTI

Few would disagree with the view that the CBI should strive to dispel the notion that it is “a caged parrot”, and that its investigation should not give the impression that it probes cases and arrests people in a high-handed and biased manner. The judge has rightly emphasised the right of the accused to remain silent, and decried the propensity among investigating agencies to cite “non-cooperation” or “evasive answers” during questioning as a ground to keep suspects in prison.

Read the editorial here.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday (September 15, 2024) said the announcement by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal that he would resign as the Chief Minister of Delhi was nothing but a “confession of his crime” and that he had been forced to do so as the Supreme Court, by granting him “conditional bail” in the Delhi excise policy case, restricted his powers as Chief Minister.

The Congress called the resignation a “political drama” and said Mr. Kejriwal should have resigned six months ago as he had lost the moral right to hold the post. The Congress and the AAP had a tie-up in the Lok Sabha election but since then the Congress has been attacking the AAP over issues pertaining to Delhi.

Read the story here.

Names of Delhi ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj are making the rounds as contenders, party insiders said and added that Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal and Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel were also probables.

Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birla, who is also the deputy speaker in the assembly, and Kondli legislator Kuldeep Kumar are also potential candidates, they added.

The AAP sources said the surprise candidate could also be a member of the minority community as the party has witnessed its support among the community wavering since the 2020 Delhi riots.

In such a scenario, Delhi minister Imran Hussain may be the surprise face, they added.

-PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party will announce the name of the new Delhi Chief Minister at 12 p.m.

The announcement will be made after party chief Arvind Kejriwal meets with AAP Delhi MLAs, according to AAP sources.

— Nikhil M. Babu

Had Arvind Kejriwal resigned six months ago at the time of his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, it would have spared city residents the agony they underwent in the absence of their CM, said Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav on Sunday.

The Congress leader said while Mr. Kejriwal was in jail, nearly 40 people died in rain-related incidents even as city residents faced issues of water shortage and garbage pile-up.

Read more here.

Two days after he came out of jail on bail in the Delhi excise policy case, ​Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declared that he would be quitting the top post​, having resolutely refused to do so while behind bars. Political observers believe the gambit is aimed at regaining political traction ahead of the Assembly Election in Delhi early next year, while someone else takes over the hassle of governance. Mr. Kejriwal is not the first Chief Minister to propose this route to political and electoral redemption, but the experience of other CMs who opted for it has been mixed, and comes with cautionary tales.

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Arvind Kejriwal resignation: Search for a loyal replacement in Delhi is a political gamble

Arvind Kejriwal considers resigning as Delhi Chief Minister to focus on elections, facing challenges of loyal replacements.

The Delhi chiefs of the BJP and the Congress on Monday attacked Arvind Kejriwal over “misgovernance” and “lack of civic amenities”. The BJP said Mr. Kejriwal’s decision to resign was borne out of “compulsion” and not “principle”.

Read the story here.