‘PR Stunt, Gimmick’: BJP, Congress React To Kejriwal’s Bid To Resign As Delhi CM

Shortly after Arvind Kejriwal announced that he would resign as Delhi Chief Minister in the next two days, the BJP on Sunday slammed the move by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief as a “PR stunt.”

On Friday, Kejriwal was released from Tihar after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the excise policy-linked corruption case. Kejriwal, in his first address to AAP workers after being released from jail, said he would not sit in the chief minister’s chair until he is acquitted in the excise policy case.

‘Corrupt party’

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that Kejriwal’s decision was an attempt to salvage his image among Delhi voters, who now view him as a “corrupt” leader. “This is a PR stunt of Arvind Kejriwal. He has understood that his image among the people of Delhi is not of an honest leader but of a corrupt leader, today AAP is known across the country as a corrupt party. Under his PR stunt, he wants to restore his image,” Bhandari told news agency ANI.

‘People’s anger has forced him to resign’

BJP sources told News18 that he should have resigned long ago. “Some resign to gain public sympathy when they can’t face the people. People’s anger has forced him to resign. It is the Election Commission’s job to schedule elections in Delhi. The BJP is in a strong position in Delhi,” they added.

Bhandari further said that Kejriwal’s move was reminiscent of the “Sonia Gandhi model,” referring to the period when the senior Congress leader was accused of influencing government decisions through then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while he was in office. The BJP spokesperson even claimed that Kejriwal’s resignation plan is a strategy to shift blame and make someone else a scapegoat amid fears of losing the upcoming Delhi elections.

Congress Reacts

Responding to Kejriwal’s statement, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said, “There is no question of becoming the CM again. We have been saying for a long time that he should resign as Chief Minister. This is merely a gimmick. It is unprecedented for an elected leader to come out of jail on bail and be asked by the Supreme Court not to go to the Chief Minister’s office or sign any papers.”

“Such conditions have never been imposed on any other Chief Minister. Perhaps the Supreme Court even fears that this person might try to tamper with the evidence. The Supreme Court is treating him like a criminal. There is no correlation between morality and Arvind Kejriwal,” Dikshit added.