Not fearing ED: Anand on quitting AAP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

A day after announcing his resignation as minister from the Delhi Government and quitting the AAP, Raaj Kumar Anand on Thursday refuted the claims of leaving the AAP due to the fear of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He clarified that the raids conducted at his residence were solely aimed at tracing the money trail in the alleged liquor scam.

“I did not leave the ministerial position and the AAP fearing the ED. I also know it is not easy to become a minister,” Anand stated firmly.

He said he resigned because he was “not allowed” to discharge his duties as a minister and the work of his community was not being done.

Alleging that Dalit leaders are not given important posts either in the AAP or in government agencies, such as the agricultural produce marketing committees, he said, “I was not able to tolerate this injustice.”

Last year, the ED conducted raids on locations associated with Anand, seizing what they described as “incriminating material”, including evidence of unreported transactions and hawala dealings with China. According to a statement by the investigative agency, these searches were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), citing Anand’s indictment by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence for transactions connected to China and alleged customs duty evasion totalling Rs 7 crore.

Besides, Anand criticised minister Saurabh Bharadwaj over his remarks, expressing discontent with the perception that “Dalits and poor are weak”. “On Wednesday Bhardwaj said Dalits are poor, weak. Are all Dalits weak and poor? I will not tolerate the insult of Dalits,” Anand retorted.

Anand, a Dalit leader and former legislator from Patel Nagar, resigned on Wednesday, citing the party’s alleged involvement in corruption. He also kept people guessing about his next move by saying that “politics is a game of possibilities and no one knows what lies ahead in the future”, even as AAP leaders have claimed that he might join the BJP

Anand is still “technically” a minister although he has resigned, officials said. “He has claimed to have sent his resignation to the CM’s Office but the CM is in judicial custody. There is no possibility in the near future that his resignation letter will reach the CM for his approval,” a senior Delhi government officer said.

The resignation letter of a minister, approved by the CM, has to be forwarded to the L-G for further approval.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva criticised the AAP, highlighting the governance paralysis in Delhi with CM Kejriwal behind bars. He demanded clarity on when Anand’s resignation would be accepted, questioning the extent of Kejriwal’s political self-interest and its impact on Delhi’s governance.

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