AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj, Atishi To Be Elevated As Ministers, CM Kejriwal Sends Names To Delhi LG

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sent names of AAP MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi to Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena to be elevated as ministers in the cabinet

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sent names of AAP MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi to Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) to be elevated as ministers in the cabinet, according to sources.

 

According to reports, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is a three-time MLA and currently holding the post of vice chairman of Delhi Jal Board and Kalkaji MLA Atishi, who has worked closely with Manish Sisodia, would join the Delhi cabinet.

 

The development comes after Manish Sisodia, who headed 18 departments, and Satyendra Jain, who has been in Tihar jail for months in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), resigned from the Cabinet on Tuesday.

 

According to ANI, the departments held by Sisodia will be redistributed to senior AAP leaders Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand.

 

"Sisodia held 18 departments, some of which will now be handled by Kailash Gahlot and the rest by Raaj Kumar Anand," ANI quoted a source as saying on Tuesday.

 

Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the new excise policy of the Delhi government.

“Several FIRs have been registered against me and more are in the offing. They left no stone unturned to ensure that I leave you. I was threatened and even offered bribe, but I did not relent. As a result, they arrested me for not bowing before them”, Sisodia wrote in his resignation letter.

“I am not scared of their jails and am not the first person to be arrested for following the path of truth. I have read countless stories of people who fought against the British and were jailed on false charges. Some were even hanged till death”, he added.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Sisodia's plea challenging his arrest in the excise policy case.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said the top court is not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage, suggesting that Sisodia move Delhi High Court.