Anand, a Dalit leader and a legislator from Patel Nagar, also questioned the lack of representation of Dalits within the party
By Alok KN Mishra
Delhi social welfare minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Wednesday resigned from the cabinet of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying that a party that was formed to fundamentally fight corruption is now embroiled in corruption itself, and its senior leaders are in jail in cases related to alleged money laundering.
“I am very pained today. I came into politics when Kejriwal said that politics will change and the country will change… AAP was born against corruption, but today this party is embroiled in corruption,” said Anand in a press conference at a restaurant in CP.
Anand, a Dalit leader and a legislator from Patel Nagar, also questioned the lack of representation of Dalits within the party, adding that no leader from the community has been trusted with important responsibilities. Anand clarified he will not immediately join any other party even as AAP leaders said that he quit due to pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and federal investigative agencies.
“They (AAP) use pictures of Ambedkar in offices but when it comes to implementation and representation of Dalits, AAP steps back. None of the 13 AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs is Dalit. There is no respect for Dalit leaders in AAP. In the top leadership of the party, there is no Dalit and no Dalit leader is given big political responsibility which makes Dalit leaders of AAP feel cheated,” said Anand.
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.