The imprisonment and CBI custody of two important ministers – Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia have created challenges for Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Read Kavita Pant’s report.
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of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday against his arrest and the manner in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the alleged liquor policy case. Sisodia has been detained on Sunday on charges of corruption while making and running Delhi’s new Excise Policy 2021-22. The court has sent Sisodia on five-day CBI remand for the CBI to get authentic and valid answers to its questions.
The imprisonment and CBI custody of two important ministers – Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia – has thrown up new challenges for Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Understand in 5 points, what a big blow Sisodia’s arrest is for you. Till Tuesday evening, resignation has been taken from Sisodia and other corruption accused minister Satyendar Jain.
1- The blurring picture of the target of Mission 2024
This is a major blow to Kejriwal and his party’s aspirations on the national stage ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections which could badly affect the party. Not only this, the biggest immediate problem of Chief Minister Kejriwal without any ministerial berth is that who will present the state budget for the next financial year.
2- It is difficult to find an alternative to Sisodia in the portfolio.
After Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was arrested in a hawala case and sent to jail last year, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took over all his responsibilities. Sisodia has presented eight consecutive budgets for the Kejriwal government since 2015. He is responsible for many important portfolios of the Delhi government. Sources say that Sisodia’s portfolios can be divided among other ministers. Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot can be given the charge of Finance Department. Despite this, finding an alternative to Sisodia for the Aam Aadmi Party government will not be easy. He holds 18 out of 33 portfolios, including major portfolios like Finance, Home, Education, Health, PWD and Electricity.
3- Division of departments crooked kheer
Sisodia’s budget has been focused on the education and health sectors. There has been a separate provision for freebies in his budget, which has so far been the main vote-getting strategy for the party. CM Kejriwal cannot include any new minister in his cabinet. According to Article 239AA of the Indian Constitution, the number of ministers in Delhi cannot exceed ten percent of the Delhi Assembly seats. Therefore there can be a maximum of seven ministers (10 per cent of the 70 Delhi assembly seats). Perhaps that is why the resignation has been taken in a hurry.
According to sources, portfolios of Sisodia can be distributed among other ministers in a new way. Allotting 18 portfolios among the four remaining ministers – Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajkumar Anand – will be a big challenge for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. If Kejriwal himself does not come forward and keep some important departments with him, then his government may be in big trouble. After the redesign, it is expected that soon the cabinet will also be expanded.
4- Who will handle the image of the party?
Sisodia has been playing an important role in leading the flagship schemes of the Aam Aadmi Party. Sisodia has done a lot of work in reviving water sources and in the education sector. The party has been describing Sisodia as India’s “best education minister” and his absence is expected to have a negative impact on the education department. Sisodia is thinking behind doing anything new in all these areas.
Apart from this, to host the G20 summit in Delhi this year, the Delhi government is actively working to improve the infrastructure of the national capital. Departments like Urban Development, Tourism, Finance, Home and PWD The Aam Aadmi Party would have to face a lot of difficulties under Sisodia’s management.
5- Obstacle in political expansion before elections
At a time when Aam Aadmi Party chief Kejriwal is actively preparing to enter national politics, Sisodia’s arrest is a major setback to the party’s plans. Kejriwal plans to tour four states, including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, next month to expand his party’s electoral prospects after it got national party status last year.
The party is organizing protests across the country against the arrest of Sisodia in these difficult times. Party leaders are viewing these demonstrations as an opportunity to increase the party’s political expansion in states and cities. He is also trying to reach where the Aam Aadmi Party does not have much support base.
Critics of the Aam Aadmi Party are calling these demonstrations a well-planned strategy to try to reach out to states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh where assembly elections are due later this year. There will be no crowd pullers during the event. In such a situation, Arvind Kejriwal will have a big responsibility to maintain the morale of his party workers and keep his workers active in the 2023 assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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