Delhi Minister Atishi explains Arvind Kejriwal's two-day resignation delay due to holidays

Delhi Minister Atishi

In response to questions about Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's decision to take two days before resigning from his position, Delhi Minister Atishi provided clarification on September 15. Atishi explained that the two-day timeframe is due to the upcoming public holiday. "Today is Sunday, tomorrow is a holiday for Eid-e-Milad, so the next working day is Tuesday. That's why two days time," she stated.

Kejriwal announces resignation in two days

Kejriwal has announced his intention to resign from his position in two days. Kejriwal, who was released on bail from Tihar Jail on September 13 in connection with the excise policy graft case, stated that he would not resume his duties as chief minister until the people of Delhi give him a "certificate of honesty". "I am going to resign after two days and ask people whether I am honest. Till they respond, I won't sit on CM's chair," Kejriwal said.

AAP's defense

Atishi also defended Kejriwal's decision, calling it a historic move. "Today's day will be remembered as a historic day in the nation's politics. No leader in history has ever said only vote for me if I am honest otherwise don't vote. Arvind Kejriwal can't tolerate corruption, dishonesty. Arvind Kejriwal's decision to resign came from the pain that no one from Delhi should ever think that he is corrupt. BJP has been harassing Arvind Kejriwal for the past two years. They have not been able to recover even a single rupee of corruption from any leader of AAP. We demanded that elections should be contested as soon as possible. The public will give a huge mandate to Arvind Kejriwal's honesty."

AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar echoed this sentiment, highlighting Kejriwal's dedication to integrity and his past sacrifices. She emphasized that Kejriwal's decision to resign and seek a public verdict on his honesty underscores his commitment to ethical governance. Kakkar said, "“The CM said that he will resign after two days, there would be a meeting, we will let you know. The person who is honest can only get hurt over false allegations. Nothing was found, bail was given, the matter will be in court for long. We will go to the people, there is such a CM who relinquished a govt job which could give him a lot of money, he then lived in slums, and got the love of people, he wants a decision from the court of people.”

Kejriwal's resignation announcement sparks mixed reactions

Kejriwal’s announcement to resign and seek early elections has stirred political discussions.

Opposition criticism

Critics from the opposition have expressed skepticism about Kejriwal's timing. Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva questioned the need for the two-day delay, asserting, “What does he want to do in these two days? The public of Delhi wants to get rid of the AAP government. The cabinet should be dissolved and elections should be called. There is not even a single department in the AAP government where corruption does not take place.”

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi criticized the timing as “ridiculous”, suggesting that if Kejriwal has an iota of truth in his intentions, he should resign immediately and recommend the dissolution of the Assembly. “This 48-hour time which he (Arvind Kejriwal) has sought is enshrined in mystery that for which he is trying to find a replacement or trying to do some placements. It is ridiculous for a CM who is having overwhelming majority in the Assembly. If he is having an iota of truth in his intentions and in what he is saying, then he should call the meeting of the Cabinet, resign as CM and recommend the dissolution of the Assembly,” said Trivedi.

Congress Delhi chief Devender Yadav also criticized the delay, calling it a "political drama". He suggested that if Kejriwal had resigned earlier, the public would have avoided many crises. Yadav urged for a new Chief Minister to be appointed promptly. “Why is he waiting for two days? If Arvind Kejriwal had tendered his resignation six months ago, the public of Delhi would not have gone through a lot of crisis. This looks like a political drama as the Supreme Court has already imposed restrictions on him…A new Chief Minister should be appointed as soon as possible. The public of Delhi is aware and they will surely give an answer in the Delhi assembly elections,” said Yadav.

BJP leader Shazia Ilmi and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Prasad both remarked on the timing of the resignation. Ilmi argued that the resignation is timed with the upcoming elections, while Prasad claimed that Kejriwal should have resigned earlier, asserting that the people of Delhi had been waiting for this decision for some time.

“He (Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) should have resigned when he was in jail. Why is he resigning now? It’s because the election is near,” said Ilmi. And, Ranjan said, “He should have resigned long back. AAP has done injustice to people of Delhi. Not only Arvind Kejriwal, but half a dozen other top leaders of the party were behind bars. People were anguished, but the AAP was busy for getting bail. Lastly, he took this decision, the people of Delhi were waiting for this for a long time. I believe he (Arvind Kejriwal) has done justice to the people of Delhi.”