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Journalism of Courage
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, announced his resignation on Sunday. He declared that he would only sit in the CM’s chair again after the people give him a “certificate of honesty.”
“I will not sit on the CM’s seat till the people elect me and send me to the seat again. I will go among the people and ask them for vote. Agar janta ko lagta hai Kejriwal imandar hai to mai CM ke seat mai jaa kar baithunga nahi to nahi baithunga (If the people think Kejriwal is honest, then I will sit on the CM’s seat; otherwise, I will not),” he declared during a rally at the AAP headquarters in Delhi.
The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) convenor further stated that after his resignation, the party would hold a high-level meeting to decide on a name for the CM post.
“Both Manish Sisodia and I were also stressing about this. He will also not hold any charge. We both will assume our seats when people will elect us,” he said.
If Kejriwal goes through with his resignation, this will be the second time he will have quit from the Delhi CM’s post. The first resignation happened on February 14, 2014, just 49 days after he had taken office for the first time.
At that time, Kejriwal cited his minority government’s inability to pass proposed anti-corruption legislation due to a lack of support from other political parties.
Throughout his tenure, Kejriwal faced a constant tussle with the Centre and the Delhi LG. Here, we take a look at his time at the helm of affairs in the national capital:
Arvind Kejriwal, born on 16 August 1968, is an Indian politician and former bureaucrat. Before entering politics, he served as a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax in New Delhi as part of the Indian Revenue Service.
Kejriwal graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. In 2012, he founded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after being a major part of the India Against Corruption Movement. His party won the 2013 Delhi Legislative Assembly election.
He assumed office as the Chief Minister of Delhi on 28 December 2013. However, he resigned just 49 days later, on 14 February 2014, citing his minority government’s inability to pass proposed anti-corruption legislation due to a lack of support from other political parties.
On 14 February 2015, Kejriwal took office as Chief Minister once again after the AAP won a remarkable 67 out of 70 seats in the election.
The AAP’s manifesto had promised to cut power tariffs by 50 percent immediately upon coming to power and to provide 20,000 liters of free water to every household per month.
His second term also marked the beginning of a prolonged conflict with the then Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG), Najeeb Jung.
In April 2015, Jung announced that he was not obliged to send files to the Chief Minister in response to Kejriwal’s directive to route files related to police, public order, and land through him. In retaliation, Kejriwal instructed his officials not to send such files to the LG.
Jung further annulled all bureaucratic postings made by the Delhi government, asserting that the power to appoint and transfer officials rested with him. Additionally, they clashed over the inclusion of Bihar Police officers in Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), with Jung rejecting this move, claiming jurisdiction over the ACB.
On 19 July 2015, the AAP government inaugurated the first Mohalla Clinic in Peeragarhi, West Delhi. This initiative aimed to enhance health services in underserved areas such as slums. The AAP had come to power on promises of improving education, health services, and providing free electricity and water.
In August 2015, Kejriwal increased circle rates for agricultural land in Delhi, leading to objections from Jung.
By December 2015, IAS and DANICS officers went on leave just before the launch of the flagship odd-even vehicle scheme, which Kejriwal attributed to the LG’s interference.
On 4 August 2016, the Delhi High Court ruled that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory, rejecting the AAP government’s claim that he was bound to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers. The AAP government appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.
On 22 December 2016, Najeeb Jung resigned as Delhi LG.
The tension between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the bureaucracy intensified in February 2018 following an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP leaders at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on February 19. In response to the assault, the IAS Association reportedly boycotted routine meetings with ministers as a form of protest, although they claimed they had not suspended their work.
Prior to this incident, in December 2017, the conflict between Kejriwal and the then Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal escalated to Parliament. A Rajya Sabha member accused the chief minister of being treated like a “peon.”
In June 2018, Kejriwal staged a sit-in protest at the LG’s office against the “strike” by IAS officers.
In July 2018, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court outlined broad parameters for governing the national capital. The court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor (LG) had no “independent decision-making power” and must act on the advice of the Cabinet.
The free bus scheme for women was launched by the Delhi government in October 2019. The scheme is available to all members of the transgender community, regardless of their residence.
In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Kejriwal-led AAP achieved a significant victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats.
Kejriwal declared that the people of Delhi had ushered in a new kind of politics. He said, “It is the victory of every family in Delhi who chose me as their son.” He added, “Dilli walo, ghazab kar diya aaap logon ne. (Delhi, you did wonders) Delhi, I love you!”
During the 2020 election campaigning, anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh became a major focus of BJP attacks. Top BJP leaders accused the AAP and Kejriwal of inciting dissent and providing protesters with “biryani.”
The AAP distanced itself from the issue, with Kejriwal telling The Indian Express, “Everyone has the right to protest but not to inconvenience others. Blocking roads and causing hardship to many people is unacceptable in any democracy or society. Gandhiji would not have accepted this either.”
In May 2021, an interim report from a Supreme Court sub-group investigating the oxygen supply during the second Covid-19 wave sparked political controversy by questioning the Delhi government’s demand for liquid medical oxygen (LMO).
The CM had hit out at the BJP, which latched on to certain adverse observations made in the report, saying that he fought so that “two crore people of Delhi could breathe” when “you were conducting election rallies”.
On March 21, 2024, Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy, making him the first serving Chief Minister to be arrested. This followed months of him skipping nine summonses from the investigation agency, which he termed as “illegal.”
The case involves alleged kickbacks received by the AAP and its leaders in connection with the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.
As the general elections approached, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail until June 1, the date of the seventh and final phase of voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, with certain conditions.
On June 2, 2024, Kejriwal surrendered at Tihar Jail, a day after the expiration of his interim bail.
On June 26, the CBI arrests him in the corruption case linked to the alleged scam. While the ED case investigated the alleged money trail, the CBI case seeked to prove corruption and bribe-taking by public servants.
July 12, 2024: SC grants Kejriwal interim bail in ED case
On August 5, the Delhi High Court upholds the CBI’s decision to arrest Kejriwal, and directs him to approach the trial court for bail. This was challenged by Kejriwal in the Supreme Court.
On Septemebr 13, the apex court grants bail to Kejriwal in the CBI case with a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh. He is also directed to not make any public comments on the case.
Kejriwal, in an address to party workers Sunday, said he will resign as the Chief Minister of Delhi after two days. He demanded that elections to Delhi be held in November instead of February 2025.
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