Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi chief minister on Tuesday and the party’s newly-elected legislative party leader Atishi has staked claim to form the new government.
Coming out of the LG Secretariat, Atishi said: “Today, Arvind Kejriwal has submitted his resignation. This is an emotional moment for the party and the people of Delhi. At the same time, the people of Delhi are resolving to make Arvind Kejriwal the chief minister again. Till the elections are held, I will be looking after Delhi, and we have staked our claim to form the government.”
Atishi is expected to assume office in the coming days, but her ascension has evoked strong reactions from the opposition BJP and Congress.
Anti-national, alleges BJP
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and party chief Virendra Sachdeva termed Atishi an “anti-national”, stating that her parents submitted a mercy petition to the President of India to cancel Afzal Guru’s death sentence.
“They have appointed Atishi the CM. We welcome her but her background is questionable. Both her parents had written a mercy petition for Afzal Guru to the President of India. Atishi herself supports those who try to insult India. You can imagine what would happen if such a person becomes CM,” BJP MP Manoj Tiwari told PTI.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, “Arvind Kejriwal has pushed Delhi to anarchy after announcing Atishi’s name. There’s a reason behind it … A mercy petition was submitted to the President for Afzal Guru and her parents signed it. Now, in Delhi, not just a corrupt government, but an anti-national government will operate.”
You can change the face but not the party’s character, Sachdeva said, adding that the people of Delhi know that 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,” Sachdeva added.
“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,” Sachdeva said.
He added that AAP is engaged in a makeover but that would not erase the blot of corruption.
BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said, “I think Atishi was a safe bet for them. This is another of Arvind Kejriwal’s tactics. He could have done this five months ago.”
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said, “I congratulate Atishi as her party has chosen her as the next CM. But I am disheartened by her statements. She said that Delhi has only one CM, Arvind Kejriwal. Does it mean that she will only get the designation and not the responsibilities of a CM? Does it mean Arvind Kejriwal will enjoy the power without any responsibilities?… I request the people of Delhi to elect BJP’s government in the upcoming elections…”
AAP MP Maliwal attacks CM-designate
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal also attacked Atishi, stating that her parents had written mercy petitions to cancel the death sentence of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Calling Atishi a “Dummy CM”, the AAP leader said: “May God protect Delhi”.
Electoral ploy, says BSP Supremo Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday dubbed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation from the post as an “electoral ploy and political manoeuvring”. Kejriwal resigned as the chief minister of Delhi on Tuesday afternoon and AAP leader Atishi, chosen by the party as his successor, staked her claim to form a new government.
In a post on X earlier in the day, Mayawati said, “Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation from the post of the Delhi chief minister is an electoral ploy and political manoeuvring away from public interest, but what about the innumerable inconveniences and problems faced by the people of Delhi due to his long stay in jail?”
“It would be better if the political fight between the ruling party and the opposition is not bitter to the level of enmity so that the country and public interest are not affected by it,” she said in the post in Hindi.
AAP exposed, says Congress
Meanwhile, Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav said Atishi had been made the CM for just three months and that the move had “exposed” the AAP.
“I extend best wishes to the new chief minister and I am hopeful that the problems of the public of Delhi will be resolved. The AAP government cannot run away from the promises that they made after the formation of their government … She has become the Chief Minister for just three months. AAP has been exposed in front of the public, Congress will form its Chief Minister in 2025,” Yadav told ANI.
Congratulating Atishi, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said: “She will be the third woman CM of Delhi and I congratulate her on this. I hope she will work to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Delhi. As a fellow woman politician, I wish her all the success.”
