New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned from their posts in the state cabinet on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted their resignation. Their resignations will now be sent to Delhi LG VK Saxena.
The development comes two days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Sisodia was arrested on Sunday in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Sisodia’s plea challenging his arrest in connection with the excise policy case.
The apex court suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that the court is not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage and suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court.
“It cannot interfere in the matter as it may open the gate of people approaching the top court in every such matter,” the court remarked.
Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent him to CBI custody for 5 days.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has quizzed Delhi’s Minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.
Jain is presently lodged in Judicial Custody in connection with another case related to money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
His name surfaced in the matter along with another cabinet Minister of Delhi as well as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
According to the concerned lawyers, CBI has also quizzed Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the ED case related to the Excise policy. Nair was granted bail in a CBI case by the trial court earlier.
Recently, CBI and ED have made several arrests for alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.
‘Not me, but you are target’, Sisodia writes in resignation letter to Kejriwal
After arrested Delhi ministers Sisodia and Jain resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday, the resignation letter of the former revealed that he told Arvind Kejriwal that it is the Chief Minister who is the BJP’s real target, and not him.
“Me and my god know that all these allegations levelled against me are fake and nothing more than a conspiracy hatched by cowards who are afraid of Arvind Kejriwal’s politics of truth. I am not their target, but you (Kejriwal) are,” said Sisodia in his resignation letter to Kejriwal.
He added, “This is because today, not just the people of Delhi, but the whole country sees you (Kejriwal) as a leader who has a vision for India which can bring change in the lives of the people. Today, Arvind Kejriwal has become a symbol of hope in the eyes of crores of people across the country who are facing problems like economic crisis, poverty, unemployment, inflation and corruption. People know that unlike other leaders, Kejriwal does what he says.”
Sisodia also said that many FIRs have been registered against him and many more will follow.
Talking about his association with Kejriwal, Sisodia said, “They tried hard to force me to leave you. They even threatened me and lured me. When I did not bow down before them, they have arrested me and put me in jail. I am not even afraid of their jails. I am not the first person in the world to go to jail while fighting on the path of truth.”
The resignation letter also recounted Sisodia’s tenure as the Education Minister.
“I have worked honestly in various departments of the Delhi government. The prayers of lakhs of children studying in government schools of Delhi are with me. The love of their parents is with me. And the biggest thing is that I have the blessings of thousands of teachers who brought about a revolution in the field of education in Delhi,” he said.
Sisodia claimed that all the allegations levelled against him will be proven false and the truth will come out with time.
“But now that they have crossed all limits and put me in jail by hatching a conspiracy under false and baseless allegations, I wish that I should no longer hold the post of a minister,” he said.
“Being a minister in the Delhi government under your (Kejriwal’s) leadership and working for the people of Delhi is a matter of great fortune and pride in itself, but for the time-being, I am presenting my resignation to you through this letter. I request you to accept my resignation and release me from the responsibilities of the ministerial posts,” read the letter.
