Calling Arvind Kejriwal her elder brother and Guru, Delhi Chief Minister-designate Atishi said that her only objective is to make Arvind Kejriwal chief minister of Delhi once again and to keep the government’s welfare schemes running for the benefit of people till the elections take place in a few months.
“The people of Delhi, the party MLAs, and I as the chief minister together will now work only to make Arvind Kejriwal, my elder brother, and Guru, the chief minister of Delhi again,” said Atishi on Sep 17.
The 43-year-old leader spoke to reporters outside the chief minister’s residence in Civil Lines after the legislative party picked her as Kejriwal’s successor.
While requesting her party MLAs to not congratulate her or offer flowers, and bouquets on the "sad occasion," she thanked Kejriwal for trusting her with the responsibility.
“On behalf of all AAP MLAs and two crore people of Delhi, I would like to say that Delhi has only one chief minister, and his name is Arvind Kejriwal. AAP supremo will become chief minister again only after the Delhi residents prove him innocent by voting his government to power in the next assembly elections,” she added.
“I come from an ordinary family. Had I been in any other party, perhaps I would not have been given even an election ticket. But Arvind Kejriwal trusted me, made me an MLA and a minister and today gave me the responsibility of the CM,” she said.
“I am happy that Arvind Kejriwal placed such trust in me. But I am also sad because Delhi CM and my elder brother, Kejriwal is resigning today,” she added.
Arvind Kejriwal, who was recently released by Supreme Court on bail in an excise policy case formally resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister on Sep 17. Following this, Atishi was chosen to form the new government before Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Earlier Kejriwal proposed her name as his successor. The date for the oath-taking ceremony is yet to be fixed. Atishi, who currently holds several portfolios in the Delhi government, will be the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Congress’ Sheila Dikshit and BJP’s Sushma Swaraj.
Supreme Court's bail to Kejriwal was a slap on the face of the Centre, whose probe agencies were called "caged parrot" by it, she said.
Atishi accused the BJP of running a “relentless campaign against AAP leaders accusing them of baseless corruption”.
The people want to see Kejriwal as the chief minister again because they know he is honest and without him, the free education, free power, mohalla clinics, and free bus-ride schemes will be stopped, she said.
“I don’t think we will find such an example of sacrifice in the history of democracy as Kejriwal has put before the country today by stepping down from chief minister’s post. BJP knows that if an honest person like Kejriwal is no longer the CM, they will stop the welfare scheme available to the people in Delhi,” she added.
Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that by nominating Atishi as the new chief minister, Kejriwal has pushed Delhi towards “anarchy and communism”.
“Atishi herself said that Kejriwal will remain the Chief Minister, and she is merely a face, indicating that she will be a puppet CM. The only question is whether the remote will be in Kejriwal’s hands or [Manish] Sisodia’s. AAP leaders are now trying to give the party a makeover, but no matter how hard they try, they won’t be able to hide the marks of corruption,” said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva in a statement.
An AAP leader was quoted as saying that Atishi’s new cabinet will have the full strength – seven ministers, including the chief minister. The Arvind Kejriwal cabinet had only six ministers, including Kejriwal, since April when social welfare minister Raaj Kumar Anand resigned citing differences with the AAP leadership.
“All the cabinet ministers will be sworn in afresh because as soon as the resignation of the CM is accepted, the cabinet stands dissolved,” the unnamed AAP leader said.
Delhi’s assembly elections are likely to be held in Feb 2025. While announcing his decision to resign, Kejriwal demanded that assembly elections in Delhi be held in Nov alongside the Maharashtra polls.
According to a few AAP party leaders aware of the development, ministers in Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet – Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot, Gopal Rai, and Imran Hussain – are likely to retain a spot in the new cabinet.
Her cabinet will also likely get two new ministers, including Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar as the Dalit minister. However, AAP leaders have officially not confirmed this.
An officer from the security unit of the city police was quoted as saying that the process of providing upgraded security cover to Atishi will be initiated on Sep 18 and she will be considered a special protectee.
“The decision on the category of the security cover will be taken as per her threat assessment report that will be conducted and finalized by the Ministry of Home Affairs. As per the protocol, she is likely to get the Z-category security cover,” the officer added.
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