Arvind Kejriwal in prison, Minister Raaj Kumar Anand resigns, quits AAP citing “corruption”.

After a major announcement made by Mr. Anand, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused him of being forced to resign by the BJP in a press conference. Mr. Anand denied being under any pressure to quit, stating he joined AAP to combat corruption but decided to resign due to the party’s involvement in corrupt practices. As the social welfare and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes minister, Mr. Anand expressed his disappointment with the party’s actions and indicated that his decision to leave was based on his principles.

He mentioned the absence of Dalit representation in leadership positions within the Aam Aadmi Party, following which he informed reporters of his decision to leave. Mr. Anand, the MLA from Patel Nagar, became the first Delhi government minister to resign from his post and from the AAP directly as a result of the arrest of Mr. Kejriwal and the entire liquor policy case. He also accused the AAP of discriminatory practices in appointing leadership positions within the party.

Further, Mr. Anand’s house was searched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a customs-related money laundering case in November 2023. The ED filed a complaint against him based on allegations of false declarations in imports leading to customs evasions of over Rs 7 crore. Delhi Minister Atishi alleged that the BJP exerted pressure on AAP leaders to join their party, claiming she had been approached and threatened with arrest by the ED if she did not switch sides.

This statement led to a defamation notice being sent to her by the Delhi BJP unit. The Delhi High Court rejected Mr. Kejriwal’s challenge to his arrest in the liquor policy case. The ED accused Mr. Kejriwal and two of his colleagues of taking kickbacks under the now-scrapped liquor policy.

The allegations included providing unjustifiably high profit margins for retailers and wholesalers, with a portion allegedly being funneled as bribes and used for poll expenses. Mr. Kejriwal and the AAP have consistently denied these allegations, claiming they are part of a political conspiracy against the Chief Minister and his party, who are prominent members of the Opposition bloc INDIA.