“Practical” considerations are the reason for Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Minister Satyendar Jain’s resignations, the Aam Aadmi Party said, explaining the surprise development on Tuesday.
While the party said two new ministers would be appointed to the cabinet in “due course”, it has for now proposed to divide the 18 departments that Sisodia held among ministers Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand. The proposal has been sent to the Lieutenant-Governor, as per rules.
While Gahlot will hold finance, PWD, home, power, planning, urban development, irrigation and flood control and water portfolios, Anand will be Delhi’s new education, health, vigilance, industries, services, tourism, art and culture, land and building, labour and employment minister.
Gahlot will continue to hold charge of revenue, transport and law and justice and of any other department that has not been allotted to anyone — effectively making him the number 2 in the government. Anand will also head the social welfare and welfare of SC/ST departments.
Earlier in the day, AAP’s national spokesperson, Saurabh Bharadwaj, said, “The CM has accepted the resignations. They resigned because they do not want work in Delhi to stop and people to suffer… Two new people will be appointed to the cabinet. The process will start. There is no timeline for this… This is a situation that needs to be tackled practically. When Satyendar Jain ji was not here, Manish Sisodia ji was given charge of his departments and he worked hard to keep work going in all. He had 18 key departments, including education, health, industries, labour and PWD. Now that he has been jailed as part of a conspiracy, a practical decision has been taken so that work can go on.”
Jain has been in jail for almost nine months on money laundering charges.
In his resignation letter, Sisodia wrote: “The allegations against me will be proved false. But now that they have crossed all limits and put me in jail by hatching a conspiracy, I wish to not remain a minister anymore.”
According to sources, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia had discussed the possibility of this decision before Sunday, when Sisodia was questioned and eventually arrested by CBI.
“The party wanted to see what the SC says before going ahead with what had been discussed. Running the government with the existing strength is untenable,” said a senior leader.
Another party leader said that the decision was also taken to ward off attacks from the opposition.
“The party stands fully behind the two leaders, but with their resignation, the narrative will also shift from corruption to governance,” he said.
Party insiders said that the names of MLAs Saurabh Bharadwaj (Greater Kailash), Atishi (Kalkaji), Dilip Pandey (Timarpur) and Durgesh Pathak (Rajinder Nagar) are being considered for the cabinet posts.
Bharadwaj, a three-time MLA, was the transport minister in AAP’s 49-day government. He is the Delhi Jal Board vice chairperson at present. Atishi has worked closely with Sisodia on education. Pandey is the chief whip of the party and a senior MLA, who was previously the Delhi unit convener. Pathak, the newest member of the Delhi Assembly, is part of the party’s highest decision-making body — the Political Affairs Committee.
But with two senior ministers gone, the cabinet also requires “heft”, an insider said. Sources said that the gap could be filled by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel. The former BJP member was elected to the first Delhi assembly in 1993 from Shahdara. After joining AAP, he was elected in 2015 and 2020.
As per rules, there can only be seven members — including the Chief Minister — in Delhi’s cabinet.
In his resignation letter, Sisodia wrote: “The allegations against me will be proved false. But now that they have crossed all limits and put me in jail by hatching a conspiracy, I wish to not remain a minister anymore.” (Express Photo) 
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