Move welcome but should’ve quit 6 months ago, says Congress

NEW DELHI: Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav on Sunday welcomed Arvind Kejriwal's decision to resign as CM, but said he should have done it six months ago. Yadav claimed that had Kejriwal resigned earlier, the people of Delhi would have been spared numerous crises.

Yadav said: "This looks like a political drama as Supreme Court has already imposed restrictions on him… a new CM should be appointed as soon as possible." He expressed confidence that the people of Delhi would undoubtedly hold AAP accountable for its "misgovernance" in the upcoming Delhi assembly election.

Yadav said Kejriwal should have stepped down immediately after his release from jail, as there was no justification for holding onto CM's position given Supreme Court's extensive restrictions on him. "Why is he waiting for two days?" he asked. Atishi, an AAP functionary, had previously explained that the two-day delay was due to Sunday and the Eid holiday on Monday.

Yadav argued that Kejriwal had forfeited his moral authority to remain CM following his imprisonment. During this period, governance took a backseat, resulting in the public enduring immense hardship due to waterlogging, water shortage, garbage accumulation and fatalities caused by drowning in floodwaters and electrocution, he said. Nearly 40 individuals lost their lives in rain-related incidents over the past two months, he added.

Sandeep Dikshit, a former Congress MP, said, "We have been saying this for a long time that he should resign as the CM... This is a mere gimmick." Dikshit highlighted the "unprecedented nature" of the situation, where an elected leader was released from jail on bail and instructed by Supreme Court not to enter CM's office or sign any documents. TNN

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