In a landmark move, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation announcement has been hailed by AAP as a new benchmark for integrity in Indian politics. Despite securing bail from the Supreme Court, Arvind Kejriwal insists on facing the “court of the people,” vowing to reclaim his seat only after passing this self-imposed ‘Agni Pariksha’.
Senior AAP leaders and Cabinet Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi lauded the decision, calling it a rare display of morality and a defining moment in the country’s political history. Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal to the public: vote for him only if they believe in his honesty.
On Sunday, senior AAP leaders and Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi held a joint press conference at the party headquarters. Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “For the last two years, the BJP has been mudslinging at Arvind Kejriwal and all the big leaders of the AAP that these people are thieves, they have committed corruption and earned crores of rupees. But even after two years of investigation, the ED-CBI do not have the courage to even start the trial. These people (BJP) are not even able to start the case, the Supreme Court of the country itself is saying this,” he affirmed.
“While granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court has commented upon the Central Government’s premier agency, CBI, that even today CBI is acting like a ‘caged parrot’. It is maliciously working to keep Arvind Kejriwal in jail and it is not known when the trial will begin. Arvind Kejriwal has said that the country’s top court has given him relief by granting him bail, but he will go to the people’s court and undergo ‘Agni Pariksha’. Only when he passes the ‘Agni Pariksha’, will he sit on the Chief Minister’s chair,” stated Saurabh Bharadwaj.
He further said that in the history of the entire world, Arvind Kejriwal is the only Chief Minister who, after resigning from the post, is saying, “If I am honest, then vote for me, otherwise don’t vote for me.” Arvind Kejriwal is going to the people’s court, saying, “I have come to you to take ‘Agni Pariksha’ as your Chief Minister. For the past two years, mudslinging has been done at me, accusations have been made, and narratives are being built.”
“Arvind Kejriwal is jeopardizing his entire career and saying that despite so much mudslinging and such adverse conditions, when the party has been thrown out of its office, many party leaders have been arrested, and the party has no money, even in such a situation, he is going among the people and saying, ‘If I am honest, then put me back in the Chief Minister’s seat, otherwise don’t.’ In a time when Indian politics has become like a mud bath, such morality and purity are rarely seen. This is unique to Arvind Kejriwal,” asserted the Delhi Minister.
Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that Arvind Kejriwal says that despite all the allegations and mudslinging, the investigating agencies could not prove any allegation in the court.
The Delhi Cabinet Minister strongly objected to the statement of BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, in which he called the CM a convict. “He is an educated person. I strongly object to the word ‘convicted’ that he has used against Arvind Kejriwal. He should have this much understanding of the law. He is an MP. ‘Convicted’ means ‘proven guilty’,” added the Minister.
Saurabh Bharadwaj further added, “Even though Arvind Kejriwal’s trial hasn’t even started yet, they have already declared him guilty. Sudhanshu Trivedi should get himself treated, otherwise, we know how to treat. I want him to watch his words. Arvind Kejriwal has taken this risk. He will go to the people’s court, and if the people want him, he will sit on the chair (Chief Minister), otherwise, he will not.”
Addressing media persons, senior AAP leader and cabinet minister Atishi said that today will be recorded as a historic day for Indian democracy. In the politics of this country and the entire world, the leaders of political parties are looked at with suspicion that they must have committed some corruption. “There has not been any leader in the history of India who has gone among the public and said that if I am honest, then vote for me, else not,” she said.
She said for this announcement of Arvind Kejriwal, his personality must be understood. Arvind Kejriwal is the person who gave up the job of Commissioner, Income Tax and worked in the slums of Delhi. “He built a party from zero against corruption and when that new party won, Kejriwal became the Chief Minister. Then, he resigned from his post only because he could not bring a law against corruption, which he had promised to the people of Delhi,” she said.
Atishi said that Arvind Kejriwal cannot tolerate corruption, dishonesty and pocketing public money. What would such a person go through if he is accused of corruption. How would that person be able to sleep, thinking that the people of Delhi for whom I work morning and evening, fix schools and hospitals, give profitable budgets, there may be people among them who think that Arvind Kejriwal has committed corruption. “Today, the decision of Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation has come from the same pain that maybe there is a Delhiite who thinks that Arvind Kejriwal has committed corruption,” she said.
The senior AAP leader said that the BJP’s central government has been harassing Arvind Kejriwal for the last two years by filing one fake case after the other, arresting his party leaders, defaming by making false allegations. Hundreds of raids were conducted in the last two years, hundreds of CBI and ED officers were deployed, but not even a single rupee of corruption could be recovered from the Aam Aadmi Party leaders.
She said this is the honesty of the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal, which was also endorsed by the Supreme Court. “The court not only granted bail to the Aam Aadmi Party leaders and Arvind Kejriwal, but also snubbed the BJP-ruled central government and its agencies. The court said that these investigation agencies are like parrots in a cage who are only speaking in the voice of their master,” said Atishi.
She asserted that the Supreme Court slapped tightly the BJP-ruled Central Government and said that Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was done with the malicious intent of keeping him in jail. The court said that the investigating agencies will have to be independent and impartial.
“The words of the Supreme Court are not enough for Arvind Kejriwal. He has devoted his life to serving the people of Delhi and he cannot sit in peace, he cannot become the Chief Minister, until he is convinced that the people of Delhi trust his honesty, consider him honest. Therefore, Arvind Kejriwal has decided that until the people of Delhi show faith in his honesty, until they give a mandate on his honesty, he will not sit on the Chief Minister’s chair,” shared Atishi.
“I think that in this dirty politics, there has hardly been a person like Arvind Kejriwal who would have said that no matter how much mudslinging has been done at him, I will do honest politics and will change the country’s politics with honesty and clean politics. We have demanded early elections in Delhi. Elections are going to be held in Maharashtra in November, Delhi elections should be held simultaneously and in this election, the people of Delhi will give their mandate to their brother-son Arvind Kejriwal. The people of Delhi have full faith in Arvind Kejriwal,” concluded Atishi.