Delhi’s next Chief Minister Atishi has expressed profound gratitude to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal after her election as the AAP’s legislative party leader. She had lauded CM Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi’s sole Chief Minister and condemned the BJP for its relentless campaign against him, including a baseless corruption case that led to his six-month imprisonment.
Atishi highlighted CM Arvind Kejriwal’s historic resignation in protest, stressing that his return to office depends on the people’s verdict. She noted the widespread public desire for his reinstatement and the deep impact of his sacrifice.
After being elected as the leader of the AAP’s Legislative Party, Cabinet Minister Atishi addressed the media. During this, AAP’s National General Secretary (Organisation) and MP Dr. Sandeep Pathak, Delhi State Convenor and Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai, Deputy Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly Rakhi Birla, MLA Dilip Pandey, Sanjeev Jha and other senior leaders were also present.
During this, senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Atishi said, I want to thank my guru, Delhi’s popular Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, for reposing faith in me by entrusting such a big responsibility. It can only happen in the AAP, under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal that a first-time politician becomes the Chief Minister of a state. “I come from an ordinary family. Had I been in any other party, I would not have even got an election ticket, but Arvind Kejriwal ji trusted me, made me an MLA, made me a minister and today has given me the responsibility of becoming the Chief Minister,” she said.
The Delhi Minister expressed, “I am happy that Arvind Kejriwal has trusted me so much. But today I am more sad than happy because Delhi’s popular Chief Minister, my elder brother Arvind Kejriwal is resigning today. Today, I would like to say on behalf of all the MLAs of the AAP and the 2-crore people of Delhi that Delhi has only one Chief Minister and his name is Arvind Kejriwal.”
The senior AAP leader stated for the last two years, the Bharatiya Janata Party has left no stone unturned to harass Arvind Kejriwal, to conspire against him. The BJP accused a man, who quit as IRS commissioner, resigned from the post of Chief Minister after contesting elections for the first time forming a new political party, of corruption by filing fake cases against such an honest man. The BJP unleashed Its agencies, ED and CBI, after him and kept him in jail for 6 months in a fake case.
She continued, “Finally, the Supreme Court granted him bail and the Supreme Court did not just grant him bail, the Supreme Court reprimanded the Central Government and its agencies. They (SC) said that the Central Government’s agency is like a ‘caged parrot’ and Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was wrong.”
Atishi said had there been any other Chief Minister, any other leader in Arvind Kejriwal’s place, he would not have thought even for 2 minutes to not sit on the Chief Minister’s chair. But Arvind Kejriwal did something that till date, perhaps no leader in the history of the world has done.
“He (Arvind Kejriwal) said that the decision of the Supreme Court alone is not enough for me, I will go to the court of the people. When the people of Delhi will tell me that we want to see you as the Chief Minister, that you are honest, then I will sit on the Chief Minister’s chair. I don’t think that we will find such an example of sacrifice in the history of democracy as Arvind Kejriwal has put before the country today,” affirmed the AAP leader.
Minister Atishi shared that people all over Delhi are very sad with Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation. Last evening, I met an elderly woman, when she got the news that Arvind Kejriwal has resigned, she started crying. She said that he is like my son, he has been harassed a lot, fake cases have been filed against him. And that elderly woman said that I will go from house to house and tell people that I want to make my son the Chief Minister. “So today all the people of Delhi are taking this vow, all the people of Delhi are angry with the conspiracy of the Bharatiya Janata Party and want to see their son, their brother Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi again,” said Atishi.
She said the people of Delhi want to see Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister again because they know that Arvind Kejriwal is the only honest Chief Minister who has given them free electricity. They know that if an honest person like Arvind Kejriwal is no longer the Chief Minister, they will stop getting free electricity, the government schools will be in a pathetic condition; the quality treatment that is available in government hospitals, the free medicines that are available will stop, the Mohalla clinics will be closed; the free bus travel for women will stop, the pilgrimage for the elderly will stop.
The senior AAP leader said, “For, the people of Delhi have seen that the BJP, which is in power in 22 states, is not able to provide free electricity, good schools, good hospitals, Mohalla clinics, free bus travel even in a single state governed by it. And there is an honest Arvind Kejriwal who gives so much to the people of Delhi.”
Atishi said so the people of Delhi, the MLAs of the AAP, and I, being the Chief Minister, will now work with only one objective till the elections in the next few months take place that we have to make Arvind Kejriwal the Chief Minister of Delhi again.
“As long as I am handling this big responsibility, I will have only one goal. I know that the BJP will conspire against the people of Delhi through its LG to stop free electricity, free medicines in hospitals for the people of Delhi. I know that he will try to close the Mohalla clinics, ruin the government schools. So, for the next few months, so long as I have this responsibility, I will try to protect the people of Delhi and run the government of Delhi under the guidance of Arvind Kejriwal,” she said.
Urging the party MLAs, AAP workers and the people of Delhi not to congratulate her on becoming the chief minister, Atishi said, “I have only one request to all my workers, all my MLA colleagues, the people of Delhi, none of you should congratulate me, none of you should garland me. Because it is a very sad moment for me and for all the people of Delhi that the beloved Chief Minister of Delhi has resigned today.”
She said I once again thank Arvind Kejriwal for the faith he has reposed in me. “I will say it once again on behalf of the people of Delhi that they want to see Arvind Kejriwal as our Chief Minister after the upcoming elections,” she concluded.
