Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot quits AAP, cites erosion of values

In a major political development, Delhi’s Transport Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kailash Gahlot has resigned from the party’s primary membership. In his resignation letter addressed to AAP’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Gahlot cited unfulfilled promises and recent controversies as reasons for stepping down.
Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot, who holds portfolios including Transport, Administrative Reforms, IT, Home, and Women & Child Development, has also submitted his resignation to the Council of Ministers, Government of NCT of Delhi.
Gahlot, a prominent figure in the AAP government, expressed dissatisfaction over the party’s inability to deliver on key promises made to the people of Delhi. In his letter, he highlighted the failure to clean the Yamuna River despite it being a major election pledge. “We promised the people a cleaner Yamuna, but we have failed to deliver on that commitment,” he wrote.
In the letter, he also addressed the controversy surrounding Arvind Kejriwal’s new official bungalow. Gahlot said, “There are several embarrassing and bizarre issues like Sheeshmahal, which have now led people to question whether we still believe in being the party of the common man.”
He further stated that the continuous tussle between the Delhi government and the central government has hindered the city’s progress. “It is now clear that if the Delhi government spends most of its time fighting with the Centre, real progress for Delhi is not possible,” Gahlot added.
Kailash Gahlot concluded the letter by saying that he had no choice but to distance himself from the party. “I find myself left with no option but to step away from AAP, and therefore, I am resigning from the primary membership of the party,” he wrote.
The resignation of Gahlot, a key minister in the Kejriwal government, comes as a significant setback for the Aam Aadmi Party, especially ahead of the Delhi polls likely to be held in February.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has accepted the resignation of Kailash Gahlot. According to AAP sources, Gahlot was under investigation by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) and had previously faced raids by the ED and Income Tax Department, which might have led to his resgnation.
AAP sources have said that the BJP is using central agencies like the ED and CBI to target AAP leaders in an attempt to influence the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
BJP has reacted to Kailash Gahlot’s resignation and in a post on X, it said, “Everyone is going to run away from Kejriwal’s sinking boat”.
“BJP is coming to Delhi”, the post by Delhi BJP added.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also reacted to the development and said, “Just now, Kailash Gahlot has resigned from AAP and his ministerial position. He revealed how Aam Aadmi Party has now become a ‘Khaas Aadmi Party’. All the promises made to the people of Delhi have been broken, and the party has been engulfed in corruption”.