NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has forwarded the names of Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj to the Lt. Governor VK Saxena for their appointment to the Cabinet, sources said on Wednesday.
The development comes after the quitting of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, the prominent figures f the city government and was instrumental in steering the national capital through the COVID-19 crisis.
"Two ministers of the Delhi government are currently imprisoned as a result of BJP intrigues at the federal level. They have left their positions. Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who are well-known for their efforts, have been falsely accused by the Center, which is regrettable for the nation "said Saurabh Bharadwaj, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
"Both have given the Chief Minister their resignations. There is a small cabinet in Delhi. There are six ministers in addition to the Chief Minister. These two (Sisodia and Jain) held the majority of the significant ministry positions To ensure that the work for Delhi's development is unaffected, they resigned. Two new ministers will be chosen soon to take their places. There is no timetable for when it will be made, "said Bhardwaj.
"When Satyendar Jain was not there, his ministry was also given to Manish Sisodia. He had 18 ministries. Education, Health, Industry, Home, Excise... All were with him," he said.
Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both members of the AAP and ministers for Delhi, left their positions in the state government on Tuesday. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister, accepted their resignation. Now, LG VK Saxena in Delhi will get their letters of resignation. The change occurs two days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Sisodia in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy Case. In connection with an ongoing inquiry into alleged irregularities in the formulation and application of the Delhi government's excise policy, Sisodia was detained on Sunday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation detained AAP's second-in-command, Sisodia, on Sunday in connection with alleged irregularities in the creation and execution of the Delhi excise policy for 2021–2022.
In connection with a money laundering investigation, the Enforcement Directorate detained Jain in May of last year.
Delhi LG sends resignations of Sisodia, Satyendar Jain to President
Satyendar Jain's bail plea to be heard by Delhi High Court on Feb 27.