Swati Maliwal writes to Kejriwal, demands Dalit Leader of Opposition in Delhi

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Wednesday urged AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to choose a Dalit MLA for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly.

“I request you to make an MLA from the Dalit community as the Leader of Opposition,” Maliwal said in a letter in Hindi.

In her letter, she also reminded Kejriwal of the promise he had made to the people of Punjab of making a Dalit leader as Deputy Chief Minister.

“It is very sad that even after 3 years this promise has not been fulfilled... Avoid repeating the breach of promise and take the historic decision in Delhi by appointing a Dalit as Leader of Opposition,” Maliwal said.

After facing a defeat in the recently concluded Assembly polls, the AAP is reduced to 22 MLAs from the previous majority of 62 legislators in the Delhi Assembly. The BJP secured 48 seats while Congress has yet again drawn a blank.

Not only is there suspense regarding the name of the next Chief Minister of Delhi, but the AAP also faces a tough task in finding the right person for the post of Leader of the Opposition, especially after its topmost leader Kejriwal lost the elections.

According to party sources, caretaker CM Atishi, Gopal Rai, Sanjeev Jha and Jarnail Singh are among the front-runners for the position of Leader of Opposition.