India
Kejriwal says he will resign as CM within 2 days, wants ‘honesty certificate’ from aam aadmi | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Barely two days after he was released on bail from jail in the excise case with conditions attached to his functioning as chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal surprised everyone when he announced that he would soon step down and seek early elections in the national capital.
Stating that he would not sit on the CM’s chair unless people gave him a “certificate of honesty”, Kejriwal told his party workers at the AAP headquarters on Sunday that he would step down after two days and someone else from the party would take over as CM after a meeting of the legislative party. He ruled out former deputy CM Manish Sisodia succeeding him. He was accompanied by his wife, Sunita.
The entire cabinet will have to resign with him. The new leader of the legislative party will claim to form a government and choose a new council of ministers who will take the oath. The majority will then have to be proven on the floor of the House.
Kejriwal said he would become CM and Manish Sisodia his deputy only “if people say we are honest”.
“The Delhi elections are scheduled for February (2025), but I demand that the elections be held in November along with Maharashtra… I will sit on the CM’s chair only after people give me a fairness certificate. I want to undergo ‘agni pariksha’ (trial by fire) after I come out of jail,” he said, referring to Sita who underwent the test after Lord Ram and she returned from exile.
However, experts say Kejriwal cannot call early elections without first recommending the dissolution of the assembly.
Kejriwal: If CMs are arrested, I will urge them to run the government from jail
If that happens, it will be up to the Electoral Commission to decide whether the election can be held early. The polls for the state assembly will be held in February 2025.
Alleging that the BJP had tried to prove that he was corrupt, Kejriwal alleged that the saffron party could not provide good schools and free electricity to people because they were corrupt. “We are honest,” he alleged. “They are framing false cases against non-BJP chief ministers. If the CMs are arrested, I urge them not to resign but run their government from jail,” he said.
“I did not resign (after my arrest in the excise policy case) because I respect democracy and the Constitution is the most important thing for me,” he said. Referring to his decision to resign as CM in 2014 over the Jan Lokpal Bill, just 49 days after assuming power, the CM said: “I resigned then because of my ideals. I have no lust for power.”
Pointing out that the excise policy case will drag on for a long time, the CM said he will tell the people of Delhi to vote for him only if they find him honest. “For me, BJP is not important, people are important,” he said.
“Our leaders Satyendar Jain and Amanatullah Khan are still in jail. I hope they get out soon,” he said, thanking God “who was with us in difficult times”. On his time in jail, Kejriwal referred to letters written by freedom fighter Bhagat Singh while in British custody, saying: “I wrote only one letter to the Lt. Governor of Tihar and was given a warning.”
“Our freedom fighters were allowed to meet colleagues, but my party comrade Sandeep Pathak was not allowed to meet me in jail,” he said.
Kejriwal said some people were saying that the Supreme Court had imposed some conditions and they could not do any work. “In the last 10 years, these people have left no stone unturned to impose conditions. The LG imposed several conditions and the central government snatched my power by imposing one law after another, but I have not let your work suffer. These conditions are not a hindrance for us,” he said.
Party sources said the CM would vacate his official residence on Flag Staff Road, which has been at the centre of a controversy with the BJP accusing Kejriwal of spending excessively on its construction. This all but rules out the possibility of his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, succeeding him.
However, the BJP and Congress said Kejriwal had stepped down under duress and was trying to reach the moral high ground. Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said that with the restrictions imposed on him by the Supreme Court, Kejriwal will neither be able to perform his duties nor sign any documents. His resignation will allow him to focus on campaigning for the upcoming Haryana elections, with the party looking to expand its footprint with the Delhi elections following those early next year.
Sources said there were several schemes and policies such as Mahila Samman Nidhi Yojana — which promises Rs 1,000 as cash allowance to women above 18 years — a daily wages allowance and a new electric vehicle policy, among others that the AAP government is keen to roll out. And the party fears that the LG might question Kejriwal over convening important meetings and accessing official documents, which could lead to a stalemate in governance.
Stating that he would not sit on the CM’s chair unless people gave him a “certificate of honesty”, Kejriwal told his party workers at the AAP headquarters on Sunday that he would step down after two days and someone else from the party would take over as CM after a meeting of the legislative party. He ruled out former deputy CM Manish Sisodia succeeding him. He was accompanied by his wife, Sunita.
The entire cabinet will have to resign with him. The new leader of the legislative party will claim to form a government and choose a new council of ministers who will take the oath. The majority will then have to be proven on the floor of the House.
Kejriwal said he would become CM and Manish Sisodia his deputy only “if people say we are honest”.
“The Delhi elections are scheduled for February (2025), but I demand that the elections be held in November along with Maharashtra… I will sit on the CM’s chair only after people give me a fairness certificate. I want to undergo ‘agni pariksha’ (trial by fire) after I come out of jail,” he said, referring to Sita who underwent the test after Lord Ram and she returned from exile.
However, experts say Kejriwal cannot call early elections without first recommending the dissolution of the assembly.
Kejriwal: If CMs are arrested, I will urge them to run the government from jail
If that happens, it will be up to the Electoral Commission to decide whether the election can be held early. The polls for the state assembly will be held in February 2025.
Alleging that the BJP had tried to prove that he was corrupt, Kejriwal alleged that the saffron party could not provide good schools and free electricity to people because they were corrupt. “We are honest,” he alleged. “They are framing false cases against non-BJP chief ministers. If the CMs are arrested, I urge them not to resign but run their government from jail,” he said.
“I did not resign (after my arrest in the excise policy case) because I respect democracy and the Constitution is the most important thing for me,” he said. Referring to his decision to resign as CM in 2014 over the Jan Lokpal Bill, just 49 days after assuming power, the CM said: “I resigned then because of my ideals. I have no lust for power.”
Pointing out that the excise policy case will drag on for a long time, the CM said he will tell the people of Delhi to vote for him only if they find him honest. “For me, BJP is not important, people are important,” he said.
“Our leaders Satyendar Jain and Amanatullah Khan are still in jail. I hope they get out soon,” he said, thanking God “who was with us in difficult times”. On his time in jail, Kejriwal referred to letters written by freedom fighter Bhagat Singh while in British custody, saying: “I wrote only one letter to the Lt. Governor of Tihar and was given a warning.”
“Our freedom fighters were allowed to meet colleagues, but my party comrade Sandeep Pathak was not allowed to meet me in jail,” he said.
Kejriwal said some people were saying that the Supreme Court had imposed some conditions and they could not do any work. “In the last 10 years, these people have left no stone unturned to impose conditions. The LG imposed several conditions and the central government snatched my power by imposing one law after another, but I have not let your work suffer. These conditions are not a hindrance for us,” he said.
Party sources said the CM would vacate his official residence on Flag Staff Road, which has been at the centre of a controversy with the BJP accusing Kejriwal of spending excessively on its construction. This all but rules out the possibility of his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, succeeding him.
However, the BJP and Congress said Kejriwal had stepped down under duress and was trying to reach the moral high ground. Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said that with the restrictions imposed on him by the Supreme Court, Kejriwal will neither be able to perform his duties nor sign any documents. His resignation will allow him to focus on campaigning for the upcoming Haryana elections, with the party looking to expand its footprint with the Delhi elections following those early next year.
Sources said there were several schemes and policies such as Mahila Samman Nidhi Yojana — which promises Rs 1,000 as cash allowance to women above 18 years — a daily wages allowance and a new electric vehicle policy, among others that the AAP government is keen to roll out. And the party fears that the LG might question Kejriwal over convening important meetings and accessing official documents, which could lead to a stalemate in governance.
