Soon after Kejriwal’s decision to resign as chief minister sent shockwaves, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday questioned Delhi CM over his decision to quit from his post after 48 hours.
The BJP labelled the move as a “PR stunt and drama”. BJP Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva criticised Kejriwal’s move, calling it “hollow”. “This so-called ‘two-day leave request’ is nothing but a smart act of transferring assets,” he said, while adding that rather than indulging in theatrics, Kejriwal should have sacked his Cabinet and transparently addressed the corruption allegations against his government, Indian Express reported.
“He talks about honesty? Young students have died due to waterlogging, and there’s no free electricity as promised. Instead, electricity bills have surged by 25%. There’s a severe water crisis in the national capital as well,” Sachdeva said. He added, “He boasts about improvements in education and healthcare, but there’s a shortage of medicines, no ICU facilities, and fake medicines found in government hospitals. Why has all of this happened? Because your government is corrupt.”
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Meanwhile, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said at a press conference, “Why are you (Arvind Kejriwal) talking about resigning after coming out and what is the matter after 48 hours? The people of the country and Delhi want to know what is the secret of 48 hours, what all is to be settled in 48 hours?”
Trivedi said that several Opposition leaders, like Madhu Khoda from Jharkhand, Lalu Prasad Yadav from Bihar, and Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa from Tamil Nadu, had resigned as chief minister before going to jail so that the government would continue to function and people would not face any problem.
“But Kejriwal did not resign in the last six months. Now all of a sudden he is saying he will resign, that too after two days. Why doesn’t he call a cabinet meeting and dissolve it immediately by writing to the L-G (lieutenant governor) and hold polls in Delhi?” said Trivedi.
The BJP further claimed that Kejriwal’s decision was driven by indirect pressure from the Supreme Court.
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BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla attacked the leader, alleging that Kejriwal’s resignation is part of a larger plan to position his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, as the next Chief Minister.
Two days after he was granted bail and walked out of prison after six months, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced his shock resignation from the top post at a party meeting this afternoon. “Two days later, I will resign as Chief Minister. I will not sit on that chair till the people announce their verdict. Elections in Delhi are months away. I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the people’s court. I will sit on the Chief Minister’s chair only after the order of the people,” he said.
“I want to ask the people of Delhi, is Kejriwal innocent or guilty? If I have worked, vote for me,” he said, adding that a meeting of AAP MLAs will be held within the next two days to choose the new Chief Minister for the national capital.
He said he would go among the people and ask for their support. Kejriwal also demanded that the elections in the national capital, scheduled for February, be held in November along with the polls in Maharashtra.