A day after resigning from the Delhi Cabinet and Aam Admi Party (AAP), Gahlot has joined the BJP and said his decision to switch side was not out of any fear of CBI or Enforcement Directorate cases which he is facing.
Meanwhile, Nangloi Jat MLA Raghuvinder Shokeen was inducted into the Delhi cabinet on Monday to fill the void created due to the resignation of Transport minister Kailash Gahlot.
Shokeen is a Jat leader from outer Delhi.
Kailash Gahlot, who joined the BJP at its headquarters here, said that it was not an easy step for him.
“This was not an easy step for me. I have been associated with AAP since the days of Anna (Hazare) Ji and have consistently worked for the people of Delhi. To everyone who thinks that I made this decision under pressure, I want to say that I have never done anything under pressure,” the MLA from Nazafgarh told reporters.
“This is not a decision taken in just one day. I left my legal career to join AAP, and all of us were united by an ideology. Our sole purpose was to serve the people of Delhi,” he said.
Gahlot was also critical of AAP compromising on the values on which it was created. “The purpose for which we had come together is no longer visible today. If a government continuously engages in conflict with the central government on every issue, then the development of Delhi cannot take place,” the Jat leader said.
“I firmly believe that Delhi’s development can only happen in collaboration with the central government. This is why I have joined the BJP. I will continue to work inspired by the vision and policies of the Prime Minister,” he added.
Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar who was present at Gahlot’s joining welcomed the senior leader to the party.
He described Gahlot’s crossing over to the BJP as a turning point in Delhi’s politics.
BJP MP Baijayant Panda, who also shared the dais with Gahlot at party office, stated this clearly shows that AAP’s confidence is broken.
“The reason for this is that for the past ten years, they have been making false promises and failing to deliver in Delhi. They never talk about actual work. They made numerous promises regarding the Yamuna, but have been caught making false claims,” Panda said.