Delhi: 2 years on, AAP still mired in controversy

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal

Nearly two years after a fake degree controversy hit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, resulting in the suspension of former Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, a Bihar University on Monday announced the withdrawal of his law degree. In June 2015, Tomar was the first minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government to ‘resign’ for allegedly submitting a fake graduation degree.

When these allegations surfaced, the party backed Tomar. But after an RTI was filed in the case, the party set up a three-member Lokpal committee to investigate the matter. On June 10, 2015, Tomar sent his resignation letter to Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. A few months after this fake degree controversy, another AAP minister had to step down after corruption charges against him came to fore.

In a four-minute-long video clip, former environment, food and civil supplies minister Asim Ahmed Khan was seen demanding Rs 6 lakh for the construction of a building in his Matia Mahal constituency. Incidentally, the party itself released the video which had been recorded over a period of around two months where Khan was negotiating with a builder.

In a third such case, Sandeep Kumar, who was the minister for women and child development, was sacked. The announcement was made by Kejriwal after “objectionable” videos and photographs of the minister cropped up on social media.