Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi Singh during AAP workers' meeting, in New Delhi, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: After holding on to the post for the past six months while in custody, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that he will resign after two days and vowed to reclaim the chair only if people give him “certificate of honesty” in Assembly elections, which he wanted three months early.
In what came as a surprise for AAP cadre, he said a meeting of party MLAs would be held in “two-three days” and “someone from AAP” will be chosen to take over as Chief Minister.
Delhi Minister Atishi is the front runner for the post though some sought to emphasise on Kejriwal's coinage to claim that demand for making his wife Sunita may also rise.
Kejriwal’s announcement comes against the backdrop of the BJP demanding his resignation for the past six months following his arrest in the Delhi excise scam case. Questions were raised over his continuation while he remained in judicial custody though courts had not made any adverse order.
Addressing party workers for the first time at AAP headquarters after getting out of Tihar prison on bail on Friday, he also said both he and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would not occupy the chairs of power till people of Delhi say they are honest through voting AAP back to power.
“I want to ask people of Delhi, people of the country whether they consider Kejriwal honest or dishonest? Friends, after two days, I am going to resign as Chief Minister. I will not sit in the chair of Chief Minister till people say I am honest,” he said.
“The elections are going to take place in the next few months. I appeal to the people, if you think Kejriwal is honest, then vote for me. If you think Kejriwal is dishonest, do not vote. Your vote is my certificate of honesty,” he said amid surprised party workers urging him not to do so. Party leaders on dais were not taken aback as it appeared the plan was discussed earlier.
Demanding early polls in Delhi, he said the polls are scheduled for February but he wanted it to be held in November along with Maharashtra Assembly elections. "Someone else from AAP" will be the Chief Minister till elections are held, he said, adding that the fate of himself and Sisodia are in their hands.
Kejriwal also launched an attack on the Narendra Modi government and sought to draw a parallel between the British rule and the present government. He alleged the present government’s “cruelty will surpass” the colonial rulers.
He referred to letters written by freedom fighter Bhagat Singh while in jail during independence struggle and said, “I wrote only one letter to the Lieutenant Governor from Tihar and was issued a warning...Our freedom fighters were allowed meetings with colleagues but my party colleague Sandeep Pathak was not allowed to meet me in jail.”
Kejriwal warned Opposition Chief Ministers that the Modi government may foist "false cases" on them and urged them not to resign at such an occasion but run the government from jail as he did.