Setback for AAP as Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand quits govt, party

Raaj Kumar Anand says he quit the posts as he did not want to associate his name with 'corruption'

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand resigned from both posts on Wednesday, alleging the organisation had changed its anti-graft principle to become "involved in corruption".

"I joined AAP after being inspired by its strong stance against corruption. However, today, the party finds itself embroiled in corrupt practices. Therefore, I have decided to quit," said Anand, who served as the social welfare, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes minister, at a press conference in Delhi.

#WATCH | Delhi Social Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand resigns from his post as minister and also from Aam Aadmi Party pic.twitter.com/QF52GyjhiW

— ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2024

 

He accused AAP of discriminatory practices in allotting leadership roles. "There is no Dalit MLA or councillor in the Aam Aadmi Party. Dalit leaders are not even appointed to leadership positions. I follow the principles of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. If I cannot work for Dalits, then there is no point in being in the party," he said.

The AAP MLA’s resignation comes at a time when Kejriwal is in judicial custody in connection with the now scrapped Delhi excise policy.

In response to a question about the timing of his resignation, Anand said, “It is not about the timing. Till yesterday, we were under the impression that we are being framed, but after the High Court verdict, it seems that there is something wrong at our end.” The High Court on Tuesday rejected Kejriwal’s bail plea.

Meanwhile, Anand is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in an alleged money laundering case relating to unaccounted business investments in hawala payments sent to China in 2023.

In November last year, after conducting searches at 13 places, including Anand’s premises, the ED alleged that evidence relating to unaccounted business investments and hawala payments sent to China in 2023 was recovered from some of his key employees. This, according to the agency, was apart from Rs 74 lakh in cash along with various incriminating documents/digital records that were also recovered.