Kejriwal forwards names of AAP MLAs Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj to L-G for appointment to Delhi Cabinet: Sources

AAP MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj may be promoted to be part of the Delhi cabinet after Sisodia and Jain's resignation from the Kejriwal cabinet, sources suggested.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wedensday forwarded the names of AAP MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj to the Lieutenant Governor for their appointment to the Cabinet, news agency PTI reported quoting sources. This comes a day after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, the key faces of the city government, resigned from the cabinet.

While Jain was instrumental in steering the national capital through the pandemic, Sisodia's work in the field of education was commendable. He was handling around 18 ministries, including excise which invited the CBI heat in connection with alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy. The Deputy Chief Minister was arrested by the central investigating agency on Sunday. Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May last year in a money laundering case and has been behind the bars since then.

Jain and Sisodia's exit from the Delhi cabinet follows months of BJPs' attack against the Kejriwal government on charges of corruption. In the last few days the saffron party questioned how the duo was still part of the Delhi government despite their arrest. The AAP has been accusing the BJP of misusing government agencies to silence the opposition.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sisodia's bail plea. He was arrested on Sunday following over 8 hours of interrogation by the central agency. In the last few days since Sisodia's arrest, dozens of AAP leaders protesting against his arrest were detained by the Delhi police. AAP also alleged that police personnel barged into the party office in Delhi and manhandled its workers.