A day after quitting as a minister in the Delhi Cabinet as well as from the Aam Aadmi Party, Kailash Gahlot joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.
Gahlot took the primary membership of the saffron party he fought against for over a decade, at its headquarters in Delhi in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal and other senior BJP leaders.
Speaking to reporters after joining the BJP, Gahlot said that he didn’t take the decision under any pressure, nor was it taken overnight.
“It didn’t happen overnight. Neither did I take it under any kind of pressure. Some people are trying to build a narrative that I quit AAP and joined BJP overnight under the pressure of central agencies like the ED and CBI, but it is not the case. I have never taken any decision under any pressure in my life,” he stated.
He further claimed the values for which he joined the AAP were compromised as the leaders of the party have become “Khaas” (special) from “Aam Aadmi”.
“I joined the AAP with the purpose of serving the people of Delhi. The values for which we joined the Aam Aadmi Party were being completely compromised in front of my eyes. These may be my words but I guarantee that behind these words there is the voice of lakhs and thousands of AAP workers…They joined to serve the common man, they have become ‘Khaas’ from ‘Aam aadmi’ now…,” he alleged.
Gahlot, who was the Minister of Transport, Administrative Reforms, and Women & Child Development in the Atishi Cabinet, resigned from his post as well as the AAP on Sunday.
In his resignation letter addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Gahlot highlighted several reasons for leaving the party, pointing to what he described as its deviation from its founding principles.
Gahlot criticised AAP’s political ambitions, stating, “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.”
He specifically mentioned the worsening state of the Yamuna River and the “Sheesh Mahal” controversy among the reasons.
Reacting to his resignation, the Aam Aadmi Party called it a “part of BJP’s dirty politics”.
“Kailash Gahlot’s resignation is a part of BJP’s dirty politics and conspiracy. Pressure was created on Kailash Gahlot by conducting ED-CBI raids and now he is speaking according to the script given to him by the BJP,” Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said.
Singh added that the “Modi washing machine” has become active before the assembly elections in Delhi, claiming many leaders will be inducted into the saffron party over the next few months.
“The Modi washing machine has become active before the Delhi elections. Now, many leaders will be inducted into the BJP through this machine,” the AAP leader said.
Although Gahlot denies joining the BJP under any pressure, he was indeed on the radar of the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.
In March this year, he was grilled by the probe agency for over five hours in connection with the excise policy case.