Rama Krishna Sangem
Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi suffered a set back as Labour Minister in the state government – Raaj Kumar Anand – quit his post and the party. His main charge was that there has been corruption in the Arvind Kejriwal government in the party. This comes as a blow to AAP a day after the Delhi High Court rejected CM Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the ED.
Delhi social welfare minister Raaj Kumar Anand on April 10, Wednesday resigned from his post as a minister and also from the Aam Aadmi Party accusing the party of corruption. This spelt more trouble for the party whose convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is in jail in connection with the alleged liquor scam.
“The party was born to fight corruption but today the party itself is mired in corruption. I can’t work in this government and I don’t want my name to be associated with this corruption,” the minister said.
“Arvind Kejriwal once said at Ramlila Maidan, Jantar Mantar ‘the country will change if the politics changes’. Today the politics didn’t change but the politician changed,” Raaj Kumar Anand said.
Raaj Kumar Anand’s residence was raided in November 2023 in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate not connected to the liquor probe. Hours before his resignation, Raaj Kumar Anand on social media shared AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s press conference.
Anand, a Dalit leader
“I came to politics and then became a minister because of Babasaheb Ambedkar. I wanted to pay back to the society. I do not want to be in a party that takes a backseat as far as Dalit representation is concerned,” Raaj Kumar Anand said.
The resignation came as Delhi minister Atishi claimed that the BJP was trying to finish the Aam Aadmi Party and she was also approached by the BJP. While her claims ran into troubled waters with the BJP leader disputing it and suing her for what she said, Raaj Kumar Anand said he would not be going to any other party.
Raaj Kumar Anand was a member of the AAP’s national council and has been with Kejriwal’s movement since 2011. A post-graduate in political science, Anand won in 2020 assembly election in Patel Nagar.
