New Delhi:Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted minister Rajendra Pal Gautam's resignation and sent it to the lieutenant governor, who has forwarded it to the President for approval, sources said on Monday. Gautam had resigned from his post on Sunday amid a controversy over his presence at a religious conversion event where Hindu deities were allegedly renounced by hundreds of people.
LG office sources said that Gautam's resignation had been received and sent for the President's approval. Gautam, who was the Minister for Social Welfare, SC and ST, Registrar of Co-operative Societies and Gurudwara Elections, said he is resigning as minister as he does not want his leader or the AAP to be in trouble because of him. His successor too would be from the Dalit community.
Ambedkar Nagar MLA Ajay Dutt, Kondli legislator Kuldeep Kumar, Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birla and Karol Bagh MLA Vishesh Ravi are the frontrunners among the leaders being considered for the post. Gautam had earlier held the charge of the Women and Child Development department but was divested of that portfolio in March this year. The decision was taken amid an indefinite strike by Anganwadi helpers and workers over a host of issues, including regularisation of their services.
The portfolio was given to Transport and Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot. The party's Dalit ministers, in the past, have had to quit or resign due to controversies. Former Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar had quit his post following allegations over his fake law degree. Another minister, Sandeep Kumar, was sacked in 2016 following a sex video incident. He was booked in a rape case and was subsequently arrested. (PTI)
