Raaj Kumar Anand said he would not be going to any other party.Soon after Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand resigned from both Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet and party alleging corruption within the party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) responded by suggesting that he was pressured by investigative agencies. Anand, who had his house searched last year in connection with an alleged corruption case, became the first Delhi minister to resign following Kejriwal’s arrest in the now-scrapped liquor policy case.
“The party was born to fight corruption but today the party itself is mired in corruption. I can’t work in this government and I don’t want my name to be associated with this corruption. That’s why I have decided to quit,” said Anand, who was the social welfare, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes minister.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that Anand got scared and hence resigned from the party as “not everyone can be like Sanjay Singh”.
Sanjay Singh, another AAP leader, echoed Bharadwaj’s sentiment, and said, “This proves that breaking the Aam Aadmi Party is the target of the BJP. Raaj Kumar Anand was raided by the ED and all BJP leaders called him corrupt. Now it is for the world to see whether Raaj Kumar Anand is welcomed to the BJP with a garland.”
“When we said the BJP was trying to break the AAP, we were accused of lying. Now it’s clear?” Singh added.
Bharadwaj reiterated the belief that the BJP’s actions, including the recent arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, are aimed at weakening the AAP. Bhardwaj said, “Every minister and MLA of Aam Aadmi Party is facing a test”.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by individuals like Anand, Bharadwaj refrained from labeling him as a betrayer, calling him a “family man with responsibilities”.
“Many people will think that we will now blame Raaj Kumar Anand and call him a betrayer. But we won’t call him any of these things. Because we guess he might have got scared. He is a family man and has kids and relatives. Not everyone is Sanjay Singh and they can rot in jail for so many days,” Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
He added, “We know some people will retreat in this fight, some will have weak morale, some will break but there are a large number of people who will face these circumstances,” Bhardwaj said.
Anand’s resignation coincided with Delhi Minister Atishi’s claims that she had been approached by BJP. However, her claims were refuted by the BJP, which has filed a defamation suit against her and followed it up with a complaint with the Election Commission, which has sent a notice.
Anand said he would not be going to any other party.
With Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail, it is unclear how the vacant portfolio will be assigned.