Jitender Singh Tomar’s arrest: Exit meant to ‘keep high moral ground’

49-year-old Tomar was arrested by Delhi Police on a FIR registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) for allegedly forging documents, including educational degrees, to enrol as an advocate.

The hours between a sessions court in Delhi sending Jitender Tomar to police remand for four days and his resignation late on Tuesday night saw a lengthy meeting of senior leaders of the party at Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s residence. It was only after this meeting that news began to emerge that Tomar had sent his resignation, with Manish Sisodia himself confirming that Tomar had sent a letter of resignation to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sources said that the resignation would allow the party to retain a high moral ground, with Tomar stepping down even before charges are framed.

Emerging from the meeting, Sisodia said, “Jitender Tomar has sent his resignation to the Chief Minister. It has been accepted and will be sent to the L-G”.

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Sources said that once the court decided to send Tomar to police remand, him continuing as minister became untenable. “In the public domain, it would have been very difficult to defend him continuing. While the feeling certainly is that Tomar has been caught in the crossfire in the battle between the Delhi Police, L-G and the Delhi government, there was no other option,” a leader said.

Sources said that discussions are ongoing about Tomar’s replacement. The candidates who have a legal background include ex-ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj, and Somnath Bharti, Kailash Gehlot and Madan Lal.

Sources, however, said that Bharti was unlikely, given the controversy surrounding him. They also said that Kapil Mishra and Adrash Shastri could be discussed.