Raaj Kumar Anand, a minister in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government, resigned from the cabinet and the party on Wednesday, saying he didn't want to be "associated with the corrupt".
“Aam Aadmi Party was born to fight corruption but today the party is stuck in a swamp of corruption. It has become difficult for me to work on the minister's post. I resigned from the post of minister and from the party as I can't connect name with this corruption,” Anand said, while addressing a press conference.
“From the Jantar Mantar, Arvind Kejriwal had said that the country will change once the politics changes. The politics hasn't changed but the politician has changed,” he further stated.
Anand also accused the AAP of discriminatory practices in filling leadership positions in the party.
He said there was no Dalit legislator or councillor in the AAP and Dalit leaders were not even appointed to leadership positions.
“I follow the principles of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. If I cannot work for Dalits, then there is no point in being in the party,” he said adding that he became a minister to pay back the society but doesn't want to be part of a party that takes a backseat in Dalit representation discussions.
However, he denied joining any other party immediately.
Anand, who represents Delhi's Patel Nagar constituency, is the first Delhi government minister to quit his post and the party following Kejriwal's arrest in a money-laundering case linked to the now-defunct liquor policy.