‘Will shoulder responsibility like Bharat did when Lord Ram was in exile’: Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj after swearing in

They were sworn in by Delhi L-G V K Saxena on Thursday at Raj Niwas in the presence of Chief Minister Kejriwal.

“Jab Bhagwan Shri Ram ko vanvaas hua tha toh unke chhote bhai ne unki khadaun ko rakh kar 14 saal shasan kia tha… Satyendar Jain ji ne aur Manish Sisodia ji ne Dilli sarkar main Dilli ke logon ke liye kaam kia hai. Jab tak vo dono inn jhoote cases se chhut ke bahar nahi aate, tab tak hum ye zimmedaari sambhaalenge. Unke vapas aane pe vo hi dono log shiksha aur swasthya ki zimmadaari ko aage le ke jaayenge (When Lord Ram went into exile, his brother ruled for 14 years using Ram’s slippers on the throne. Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia have worked for the people of Delhi. Till the time they are not absolved in these false cases, we will shoulder their responsibilities. After they are back, they will take the work in education and health forward)” said Atishi addressing reporters.

Bharadwaj, meanwhile, said that he and Atishi had not undertaken their new responsibilities under good circumstances.

“After independence, good work in the fields of health and education were carried out by Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia. But they have been jailed under a conspiracy. We have not taken on these responsibilities under good circumstances,” he said, minutes after he was sworn in. Like Atishi, he also stated that they were caretaker ministers till Jain and Sisodia are released.

While Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May last year on allegations of money laundering and has been in jail for nine months now, Sisodia was arrested by the CBI last month in connection with a case regarding alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy, which was later scrapped by the government. Two days later, he and Jain resigned from their posts. Prior to this, Jain was lodged in jail but continued as a minister without any portfolio. Sisodia took over his departments such as health, PWD and home, and was heading 18 departments at the time of his arrest.

Education and health have been the key focus of the AAP government in Delhi, with each getting around 20 per cent of the budgetary allocation each year.

This year, as preparations for the G20 Summit are underway, the Public Works Department has also gained much prominence. Among the most important departments in the government alongside finance, education, health and home, PWD was earlier headed by Jain and then by Sisodia.

Kejriwal, meanwhile, congratulated the two ministers.

“Many many congratulations and best wishes to Atishi ji and Saurabh ji on assuming the new responsibilities. You both have to take forward the good work done by Manish ji and Satyendar ji. People have high expectations from both of you,” he tweeted.