Arvind Kejriwal resigns: From excise policy case to Swati Maliwal episode – top 5 controversies in 3rd term of Delhi CM

Arvind Kejriwal submitted his resignation as Chief Minister of Delhi to Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena on September 17. Atishi, the outgoing chief minister’s close confidant, has also claimed to form the next government in the national capital.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief, Kejriwal, was sworn in as chief minister of Delhi for the third term on February 16, 2020, after the party won the Delhi assembly polls, bagging 62 of the 70  seats.

Kejriwal’s third term as chief minister was marred by a host of controversies, including the biggest one – the allegation of money laundering in the Delhi Excise Policy case.

Here are 5 top controversies that impacted brand AAP in Kejriwal’s third term:

1- Delhi Excise Policy Case -2021-22

AAP and its leaders were hit by allegations of money laundering in what is popularly known as the Delhi Excise Policy case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)—the country’s two premier investigation agencies—alleged irregularities during the modification of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, with undue favours granted to licence holders.

ED chargesheet said that the policy was, in fact, formulated by top leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party to generate and channel illegal funds for themselves.

The charges eventually led to the arrest of top AAP leadership—Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh, among others. The Supreme Court has since released all of them on bail. The policy, implemented in November 2021, was scrapped in September 2022 amid corruption allegations.

2-Swati Maliwal Row- May 2024

AAP Rajya Sabha member and former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, alleged that Bibhav Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide, assaulted her at the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13, kicking a political storm in the national capital. 

The AAP, which earlier said a Kejriwal aide “misbehaved” with Maliwal and would face action, later alleged she was a part of a BJP conspiracy against Kejriwal. Kumar was arrested and later released on bail earlier this month.

3- CAA will take jobs- March 2024

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sparked a political row in March this year when he claimed that if one crore people came to India after implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act, there would be ‘riots all around’. He also termed the implementation of the law as BJP’s “dirty vote bank politics” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and that the implementation of CAA will take away jobs meant for India’s youth.

The BJP hit back strongly, accusing Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), of being “anti-Hindu, anti-Sikh and anti-Buddhist”.

Kejriwal’s remarks came days after the government notified the implementation of the CAA, weeks before the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The contentious law paved the way for citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.  

CAA faced numerous delays and continued criticism from the Opposition ranks. More than 100 people have lost their lives to protests and consequent police action since it was passed in December 2019.

4- The ₹45 crore ‘Sheesh Mahal’ renovation- 2023

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in April 2023 that ₹45 crore was spent on the “beautification” of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence in the Civil Lines area of the city and demanded his resignation on “moral” grounds.

The chief minister’s residence at 6 Flagstaff Marg has been under scrutiny over the renovation. An inquiry into the allegations is underway. At least three engineers have been suspended in the case so far.

5-The Tablighi Jamaat row – 2020

In November 2020, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at Kejriwal, calling him ‘Modi of 2013’ for alleging allegedly defaming the Muslim community during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t do anything to stop the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. 

Kejriwal called the organizers of the gathering at the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi ‘irresponsible’ on March 12 and 13, 2020, for allowing people from across the country and abroad to gather there. 

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation that was organised at the venue had been blamed for thousands of coronavirus cases around the country.

“This disease has gripped the entire world. At a time like this, this (holding a gathering) was a very irresponsible thing. Navratras are on, and there are usually many people in temples, but there is no one now. Gurdwaras are shut, and people are not coming to the masjid to pray; they are praying at home. Mecca is empty, and Vatican City is empty. At such a time, to have held such a big gathering was wrong,” Kejriwal had said.