Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has submitted his resignation from the post in the state cabinet following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case related to the liquor policy scam in the national capital.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted Sisodia's resignation.
AAP leader Satyendar Jain, who is lodged in Tihar Jail in the same case, also submitted his resignation and it was accepted by Kejriwal.
As deputy CM, Manish Sisodia held 18 portfolios in the Delhi government, assuming Satyendra’s Jain’s portfolios too. Sisodia held important portfolios like Finance, education, Labour, PWD, and others. The Delhi budget is round the corner and the absence of the finance minister will be felt.
Satyendar jail held important departments like Home, Health, power, water, industries among others. It's assumed Manish Sisodia handled departments alloted to Jain after the latter's arrest.
Now, that both Sisodia and Jain have been arrested, the AAP finds itself in spot of bother.
The arrest of Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI was the predictable conclusion to nine hours of questioning by the investigative agency. He is the second Aam Aadmi Party minister to be arrested, with Satyendra Jain behind bars since May last year. Sisodia, who is also the Excise Minister of Delhi, was arrested for his role in the alleged liquor policy scam.
The AAP, however, maintains that he is innocent and that the action against Sisodia is at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party which is in the Opposition in Delhi.
The AAP has accused the central agencies of being hand in glove with the Union government to take down political adversaries.
A legal battle is now afoot to prove or disprove the charges, and that may take several months. Sisodia himself predicted that he would have to spend seven to eight months in jail.
What is of much more significance is the political battle that is on and the public perception its outcome will generate.
Sisodia's arrest amid massive AAP protests
The arrest was not without drama, with AAP supporters courting arrest near Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi before Sisodia presented himself for questioning.
A day later party workers held protests in several cities nationwide and laid siege to the area around the court where Sisodia was produced. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal termed the arrest a motivated act of vengeance.
The AAP’s popularity in Delhi cannot be understated. They have proved their worth in three successive elections, and even dethroned the BJP from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi after 15 long years.
AAP likely to play victim card
The party will no doubt harp on its narrative of victimisation by a BJP that is running scared because, according to the AAP, Kejriwal is the only real contender to Narendra Modi in 2024. These are lofty ambitions indeed, but the party is faced with a more immediate problem in the arrest of Sisodia.
As deputy CM, he holds 18 portfolios in the Delhi government, assuming Satyendra’s Jain’s portfolios too. The Delhi budget is round the corner and the absence of the finance minister will be felt.
Arrest and resignation of Sisodia and Jain is a serious jolt to AAP. Kejriwal’s national expansion plans will take a hit as there will be lot of work in Delhi. With party facing criticism over recent violence in Punjab, where it rules, absence of two senior leaders will severely dent AAP's powers to tackle these issues.
Who will govern Delhi in Sisodia's absence?
The governance of Delhi has been largely left in the hands of Sisodia while Kejriwal focuses on his role as AAP convenor, trying to expand the party’s base. He is constantly on the move trying to make inroads in states where the party has little or no presence.
The taint of corruption that is now dogging its ministers will hit the AAP hard, especially with the Delhi BJP proclaiming that it is Kejriwal who will next face the long arm of the law.
