AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Minister Atishi arrives at the residence of Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena to tender his resignation and stake claim for forming a new government led by Atishi, in New Delhi, Tuesday, September 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi is set to become Delhi’s third woman Chief Minister, with party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal submitting his resignation to Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena on Tuesday (September 17, 2024).
Ms. Atishi, who was elected leader of the AAP legislature party earlier in the day, submitted her request to the L-G to stake claim to form the government. Currently, she is a Cabinet Minister and holds many important portfolios, including Revenue, Education, and Public Works Department.
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Earlier in the day, calling Mr. Kejriwal her “guru”, Ms. Atishi told the media that “there is only one Chief Minister of Delhi and the CM’s name is Arvind Kejriwal”. She underlined that she is the Chief Minister only for a few months till the next Assembly election. The election is due in February, but the AAP has requested the Election Commission to hold it along with Maharashtra in November.
Ms. Atishi said the party’s, and her priority would be to make sure that Mr. Kejriwal would be elected Chief Minister again. On Sunday (September 15, 2024), Mr. Kejriwal announced that he would resign as Chief Minister and he would not return to the Chief Minister’s chair until he got the people’s mandate as a certificate of his honesty. The shock announcement came two days after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the Delhi excise policy case.
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‘False cases’
Ms. Atishi alleged that the BJP put false cases on Mr. Kejriwal and kept him inside jail for six months and finally, the Supreme Court gave him bail and called the Central government’s investigative agencies a caged parrot.
“People of Delhi, our MLAs, and I being the Chief Minister of Delhi for a few months till the election, will work with only intention — to make Mr. Kejriwal Chief Minister again. Until I handle this big responsibility, I will have one intention, I know that the BJP will try to conspire against Delhiites through the L-G. They will try to stop free electricity, stop free medicines, shut mohalla clinics, and ruin the government schools. As long as I have this responsibility for a few months, I will make sure to protect the people of Delhi and under the guidance of Arvind Kejriwal ji, run the Delhi government,” Ms. Atishi said.
She added that she was happy that Mr. Kejriwal had trusted her so much, but she was more sad than happy because Delhi’s popular Chief Minister and her elder brother Mr. Kejriwal was resigning and requested people to not congratulate her or give her garlands.
The BJP was quick to launch an attack on Ms. Atishi calling her a dummy Chief Minister and alleged that the AAP was now trying to give the party a makeover, but no matter how hard they try, they won’t be able to hide the “black spots of corruption”.
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said Ms. Atishi should rise to the occasion and solve the problems of the people of Delhi, particularly women, as attacks on them had increased. He expressed confidence that the next Chief Minister would be from the Congress as the AAP had lost its credibility among the people of Delhi.
Published – September 17, 2024 08:57 pm IST