NEW DELHI, Feb 14: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tonight met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and handed over the resignation of his Cabinet and its recommendations to dissolve the Assembly and hold fresh polls.
Accompanied by his Cabinet colleague Manish Sisodia, Kejriwal drove to Raj Niwas in North Delhi straight from AAP headquarters where he announced his decision to quit to his party workers.
“The resignation has been handed over to the Lt Governor,” Law Minister Somnath Bharti told reporters outside Raj Niwas.
Kejriwal wrote his resignation letter addressed to the President apprising him of the resignation of his Council of Ministers.
“The Council of Ministers met this evening and decided to tender its resignation,” Kejriwal wrote in the letter.
Kejriwal also recommended dissolution of Delhi Assembly and sought fresh polls to be held at the earliest.
“The Council also recommends dissolution of Delhi Assembly and immediate conduct of elections to the Delhi Legislative Assembly. The same may kindly be accepted,” he further wrote.
Kejriwal sent this letter to the President through the Lt Governor.
Meanwhile, LG has requested the Delhi Government to function for another five days starting today.
The Union Home Ministry is expected to forward the resignation letter of Kejriwal for acceptance to the President tomorrow when it will receive it from the city Lieutenant Governor.
Official sources said tonight that LG Najeeb Jung is likely to send Kejriwal’s resignation letter to the Home Ministry tomorrow for further action.
As Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is in his constituency Solapur in Maharashtra, Home Ministry officials will despatch the document to him by fax for his approval.
After Shinde’s nod, the letter will be sent to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who in turn will forward it to President Pranab Mukherjee for acceptance of Kejriwal’s resignation.
As Delhi enjoys a special status being a Union Territory, it is the President who finally accepts the resignation letter of the Chief Minister. In case of other states, the Governor is the final authority.
Officials said once the President accepts the resignation of the Delhi Chief Minister, the approval will follow the same route down the line.
If the LG recommends President’s rule by keeping the Assembly under suspended animation, the Union Cabinet will take the final call and recommend it to the President for his approval.
Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung is expected to give his report to the Centre tomorrow on the follow up action in the wake of resignation of the Aam Aadmi Party Government.
Sources said he would give his report on the situation to the President through the Union Home Ministry for final decision on whether to bring the national capital under a spell of central rule or dissolve the House for holding elections along with Lok Sabha polls as recommended by the outgoing Cabinet.
The Lt Governor will send a “factual report” along with resignation of the Government and the Cabinet’s recommendation.
Kejriwal resigned after suffering a defeat in the Assembly on the Jan Lokpal Bill and in a political gamble he recommended dissolution of the Assembly and holding of fresh polls,
Bringing to an end a 49-day roller coaster ride in power, during which he received bouquets and brickbats in equal measure, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet met for one last time when it decided to resign and make the recommendation to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung whose advice against the anti-graft Bill he had defied in the assembly.
The two shared a good equation all along but today he attacked Jung, saying he acts like a viceroy of the Central Government which thinks it is still a British Government. Earlier in the day, Jung had advised the Assembly against transacting the Jan Lokpal Bill which he said should have prior clearance of central Government.
Straight from the Cabinet meeting, 45-year-old Kejriwal, who came to power riding the crest of an anti-graft movement and was called an anarchist for his street protest as CM, drove to the AAP headquarters in Central Delhi, three kilometres away from the Secretariat and addressed his supporters in pouring rain when he announced his resignation.
“The Cabinet has decided to resign. We have recommended to the Lt Governor to dissolve the Assembly and hold fresh elections,” he told a cheering audience wearing AAP’s trademark cap which welcomed his speech with a thunderous clapping.
Launching a blistering attack on Congress, on whose support he came to power, and the BJP accusing them of “colluding” with Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani to bring down the Government two days after he filed an FIR against him on the gas pricing issue.
“The real face of BJP and Congress has been exposed. They did not allow the Bill (Janlokpal) to be introduced in the House. They defeated the Bill because three days back because we lodged an FIR against Mukesh Ambani,” he said.
Kejriwal said Ambani was running the Congress Government for the last 10 years, saying “Congress is his shop and he can buy anything whenever he wants”.
He also did not spare Narendra Modi saying Ambani has been behind him for last one year. “Where are Modi’s riches coming from. He is flying by helicopter criss crossing the country. He is addressing huge and expensive rallies. From where does he get money for all this.”
High drama was witnessed in the Assembly when Kejriwal defied Jung’s advice and tabled the Bill which the BJP and Congress opposed stiffly.
After uproarious scenes and two adjournments, the resolution seeking leave for introduction of the Bill was put to vote and was defeated by 42 to 27 in a House of 70.
The defeat forced Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues into executing the threat he has been issuing last one week about his preparedness to quit if Lokpal is defeated.
A reluctant politician, Kejriwal implemented some of the promises like slashing power tariff and free water and appeared on a confrontation with Congress by taking decisions that deliberately needled the outside supporter.
The 49-day tenure was also marked by controversies when his ministerial colleague Somnath Bharti went on a vigilante style raid on an alleged drug and prostitution racket that earned the Government adverse publicity.
Kejriwal told his party supporters that Congress opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill because he had acted against the corruption of Sheila Dikshit by filing cases against her, Union Minister M Veerappa Moily and Ambani.
“They were ridiculing me saying I have only Anti-Corruption Branch but had Jan Lokpal Bill been passed half of them would have gone to jail. They conspired to defeat the Government.
“After Ambani and Moily, (Sharad) Pawar’s turn will come and then Kamal Nath. Because of this, Kejriwal has been removed. I am a small man. What is my status. I am not here for power,” he said.
Kejriwal said his Government brought down power rates and gave free water and drastically reduced corruption.
“We tried to work honestly but we are also human. People say we cannot govern. In 40 days, we brought corruption down and acted against Sheila Dikshit’s corruption. They say govern, I want to say bringing corruption down is also governance,” he said.
He told the crowd that his Government was resigning and was proud to say that for Lokpal he would resign 100 times and sacrifice the CM’s post. I will be fortunate to do it in the interest of the country.
The Chief Minister attacked the behaviour of MPs in Parliament yesterday when pepper was sprayed and mikes were broken. Similar things happened in Delhi Assembly too. What BJP and Congress members did in the Assembly was a shame on democracy.
“They say the Bill is not constitutional. Is breaking mikes constitutional. We are fighting for the nation, constitution and the people of the country. We will teach them a lesson. I am ready to sacrifice my life for the constitution. We will abide by the constitution that was made by people like Ambedkar.
“They say Parliament is a temple. Do you go to temple and break idols. Do you go to church and destroy the Bible”, he said.
Before concluding his speech, he said “I pray to God. We are small people. Kindly bless us and guide us. Give us an opportunity to sacrifice for the country”.
Meanwhile, Congress and Opposition BJP tonight took a jibe at Arvind Kejriwal after he quit over Jan Lokpal Bill, saying he was never serious to govern and was looking for an excuse to “run away” to cover up his “failure” to deliver on his commitments.
The BJP at the same time made it clear that the party would seek fresh elections in Delhi and was ready for it rather than form an alternative Government since it did not have the required numbers in the State Assembly.
Kejriwal’s estranged mentor Anna Hazare said it was unfortunate that Jan Lokpal Bill could not be passed and that he had to resign.
Congress, which was Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) outside supporter, accused Kejriwal of being a “negative person, glib-talker and a smooth-lier who was looking at an excuse to run away.”
Kejriwal was never serious to govern and his resignation was well-anticipated, party spokesperson Sandip Dikshit said.
“He was never serious to govern and the exit of his Government marks the end of a big drama. He will find any excuse to run away, to act like a martyr,” Dikshit said.
DPCC Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said Kejriwal’s resignation was totally scripted and a pre-planned drama.
Both Singh and AICC Communication Department chairman Ajay Maken said Congress had made it clear that it was in favour of Jan Lokpal bill, but the way it was being tabled was totally unconstitutional.
“Unfortunately, Kejriwal chose to resign rather than to wait for a few days to seek permission as required by the Constitution. Our stand has been same that the Bill introduced in Assembly should be as per the norms laid down in the Constitution,” Maken said.
With Kejriwal recommending fresh elections to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Harsh Vardhan said the party would seek fresh elections rather than form an alternate Government.
“I have said this on December 8 (after the Delhi assembly election results) that we do not have numbers. We are even ready if election is held next week,” he said.
Delhi BJP President Vijay Goel termed the resignation as a “political drama” orchestrated by AAP to prepare for Lok Sabha polls.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Kejriwal of forming a government in Delhi by “deceit” without a mandate of the poeple and resigning to cover up his failure to deliver on his commitments.
After Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recommended dissolution of Delhi Assembly and holding of fresh elections” to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, BJP today said it would seek a fresh mandate rather than form an alternative Government.
“I had said this on December 8 (after Delhi Assembly election results) that we do not have the number. We are even ready if election is held next week,” BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Harshvardhan said.
In Delhi Assembly elections, BJP won 31 seats while its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 1 in the 70-member House to emerge as the single largest party.
However, when invited to form the Government by Jung, BJP chose to sit in the opposition citing lack of number.
Accusing Kejriwal of “failing miserably” to deliver on the promises made by him, the BJP leader said his party was “thoroughly committed to Jan Lokpal”.
“We were never opposed to the Jan Lokpal Bill. Even today, we are thoroughly committed to the Jan Lokpal Bill,” he said.
Attacking the AAP Government, Vardhan charged Kejriwal had failed on all fronts and only made false promises.
“He has miserably failed to deliver. Delhiites feels they have been literally betrayed. All those people who are in villages, unauthorised colonies, the poor, everybody to whom promises were made.
“He has never delivered anything except making false speeches. By insulting the constitution (by not abiding by the law that said the bill required prior approval of the Centre), he has not done anything”, Vardhan alleged. (PTI)
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