Former Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Kailash Gahlot joined the BJP at its headquarters in the national capital on Monday, a day after quitting the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
“Didn’t join BJP under any pressure”: Gahlot
After joining the BJP Gahlot, said, “This was not an easy step for me. Due to Anna’s agitation, I joined AAP and worked for the residents of Delhi. I have not taken this decision under pressure from anyone. There is an effort underway to set a narrative that I am joining the BJP under ED. This is not true. I have never done anything under any pressure.”
“If we have to work for the development of the national capital, we have to work in tandem with the central government. This is the reason for me to join the BJP. I am inspired by PM Modi’s vision and work. Under the guidance of Amit Shah and JP Nadda, I will fulfil my duties and work towards the welfare of the people of Delhi,” added Gahlot.
The MLA from Najafgarh, Gahlot, was once Kejriwal’s close aide.
Gahlot’s letter to Kejriwal
On November 17, in his resignation letter addressed to AAP’s national convenor and Delhi CM Atishi, Gahlot mentioned unfulfilled promises and recent controversies as reasons for quitting the party.
Gahlot criticised the party’s shift from advocating for the people’s rights to advancing its own political agenda, which he said has hindered AAP’s ability to provide basic services to Delhi residents.
Gahlot resigned from AAP, citing internal challenges and unfulfilled promises, including the failure to clean the Yamuna River. He criticised the party’s shift from serving the people to prioritising political ambitions, which he said has hindered basic service delivery in Delhi.
In a letter to Kejriwal on Sunday, Kailash Gahlot said, “Let me start with sincerely thanking you for having given me the honour of serving and representing the people of Delhi as an MLA and a Minister. However, at the same time, I also want to share with you that today the Aam Aadmi Party faces grave challenges. Challenges from within, to the very values that brought us together to AAP.”
“Political ambitions have overtaken our commitment towards people, leaving many promises unfulfilled. Take for example the YAMUNA, which we had promised to transform into a clean river, but never got around to doing it. Now the Yamuna River is perhaps even more polluted than ever before. Apart from this, now there are many embarrassing and awkward controversies like the ‘SHEESHMAHAL’, which are now making everyone doubt whether we still believe in being the AAM AADMI.”
“Another painful point has been the fact that instead of fighting for people’s rights we have increasingly only been fighting for our own political agenda. This has severely crippled our ability to even deliver basic services to the people of Delhi. It is now obvious that real progress for Delhi cannot happen if the Delhi Government spends the majority of its time fighting with the Centre,” read the letter.
Reacting to Gahlot joining the BJP, Kejriwal, in a press conference on Monday said, “He is free, he can go wherever he wants…”
