Former Delhi government minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Friday quit the AAP and joined the Congress, alleging discrimination against Dalit and minority leaders in the Arvind Kejriwal led party.
Minutes after announcing his resignation from the AAP and all posts held by him in the party, Gautam joined the Congress. He has also resigned as AAP MLA from the reserved Seemapuri Assembly constituency.
In his resignation letter addressed to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Gautam also criticised the party over appearing “very weak and helpless” before the BJP in raising issues like caste census, raising reservation limit above 50 percent, ensuring population based participation of ‘Bahujan Samaj’, and defending secularism.
“I have to say it with a heavy heart that its impossible to imagine about works of social justice and social equality within AAP,” he said in his resignation letter.
Gautam said, as a soldier of Babasaheb Ambedkar, he was feeling for sometime that he won’t be able to achieve the first and last goal of his life which is social justice, while being in AAP.
The AAP gives no special representation to the SC, ST, OBC and minority, Gautam, who belongs to the Dalit community, said.
“Party (AAP) supports upper caste MLAs or ministers when they face any allegations but it immediately abandons Muslim or Dalit even if the allegations are false. The party in a way internally blacklists the Muslim and Dalit and changes its behaviour which is painful,” he charged in his letter to Kejriwal.
Gautam joined the the Aam Aadmi Party in November 2014 and went on to become minister in the Kejriwal government holding various portfolios, including social welfare.
He had to resign from the minister’s post amid a political storm over his alleged remarks against Hindu deities in October 2022.
Gautam joined the Congress at the AICC headquarters in the presence of general secretary KC Venugopal, party’s Delhi chief Devender Yadav and Congress’ media publicity department head Pawan Khera.
“It’s a proud moment for us as Shri Rajendra Pal Gautam joins the Congress party,” Venugopal said on the occasion.
“The Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have given a new narrative to the country, and now the country is also accepting it with full might. Attracted by the Congress programs under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, he has decided to join the Congress ” Venugopal said of Gautam.
Earlier in the day, Gautam said in a post in Hindi on X, “I am resigning from the membership and all posts of AAP in order to accelerate the struggle for social justice and participation of the Bahujan Samaj in all sectors.
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First Published: Sep 06 2024 | 4:02 PM IST
