In a setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the Delhi elections, party MLA Naresh Yadav on Friday announced that he has resigned from the primary membership of the party.
Notably, the AAP had dropped Yadav from the Mehrauli seat and fielded Mahender Chaudhary for the February 5 polls.
In a two-page resignation letter, he wrote, “I entered politics with the intention of practicing honest governance, but I no longer see that happening. People in my constituency, Mehrauli, have told me that the Aam Aadmi Party is now involved in corruption and have urged me to leave the party, feeling betrayed.”
“The people of Delhi are also aware that corruption has infiltrated AAP, with several dishonest individuals joining its ranks,” he added.
“In light of this corruption, I have decided to leave the party and am hereby resigning from all my positions,” Yadav said.
In December last year, Yadav was convicted by a Punjab court with two-year sentence in the 2016 Quran desecration case. Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Malerkotla court had also imposed a fine of Rs 11,000, The Indian Express had reported.
The Quran desecration incident occurred on June 24, 2016, during the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government’s tenure. Torn pages of the Quran were found on Jarg Road in Malerkotla, triggering unrest and violence in the town. A mob had even damaged vehicles belonging to the then SAD MLA Farzana Alam.
Yadav had earlier said that he had met AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and informed his decision not to contest the Delhi elections this time until he is acquitted by the court in connection with the case.
He had also claimed innocence and in a post on X, he had written, “Today, after meeting Arvindji, I told him that till the court clears my case, I will not be able to do anything for the party. I will not contest elections until I am honourably acquitted. I am completely innocent and the allegations levelled against me are politically motivated and false. That is why I have requested them to free me from contesting elections.”
Earlier, in November, Delhi’s Transport Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kailash Gahlot left the party, citing unfulfilled promises and recent controversies as reasons for stepping down. A day later, he joined the BJP.