Gahlot inaugurates all-women bus depot at Sarojini Nagar
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot inaugurated an all-women bus depot named ‘Sakhi Depot’ in Sarojini Nagar here on Saturday.
In a major setback to former Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, his trusted lieutenant and Delhi’s Transport, Administrative Reforms, and Women & Child Development Minister, Kailash Gahlot, quit the party with assembly elections a few months ahead.
Gahlot announced his decision on social media, sharing his resignation letter addressed to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s current direction and priorities.
Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve as an MLA and Minister, 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.”
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He specifically mentioned the worsening state of the Yamuna River as an example, stating, “Take for example the YAMUNA, which we had promised to transform into a clean river, but never took any steps to do it. Now the Yamuna River is perhaps even more polluted than ever before.”
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Gahlot also expressed disappointment over controversies surrounding the party, including the alleged construction of the ‘Sheesh Mahal,’ remarking, “There are now many embarrassing and awkward controversies like the ‘SHEESHMAHAL,’ which are now making everyone doubt whether we still believe in being the AAM AADMI.”
He further criticised AAP’s governance approach, alleging that the party prioritised political battles over delivering services to Delhi’s residents.
“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,” he wrote.
Gahlot emphasised that his commitment to serving Delhi remains unchanged and announced his decision to step away from AAP. “I find myself left with no option but to step away from AAP and hence I resign from primary membership of Aam Aadmi Party,” he concluded.
In a separate letter addressed to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Gahlot also resigned from the Council of Ministers.
This resignation marks a critical blow to AAP and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal, especially as the city gears up for upcoming Assembly elections.
Gahlot, a prominent figure in the party, was seen as a key ally of Kejriwal. He was even among the Chief Minister hopefuls following Kejriwal’s resignation. However, Atishi succeeded Kejriwal and Gahlot was retained as minister.
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