Kejriwal is “extremely displeased” with Gautam, sources said, adding the search for his replacement is on.
The incident had given BJP an ammo to attack AAP, which claims to be a serious challenger in the coming Gujarat polls.
BJP had been demanding his sacking after a video clip showing him denouncing Hindu deities while taking an oath at the event where 10,000 people converted to Buddhism went viral. The annual event, called Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din, is held to mark Dr BR Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism in 1956 along with lakhs of his followers. Ambedkar had taken 22 vows, which included denouncing Hindu gods, that are repeated during this event.
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta who had filed a police complaint in this regard said Gautam’s resignation “is a victory for Hindus and for BJP”, which had first raised the issue. “Kejriwal got his minister to resign fearing Hindus won’t vote for him in Gujarat. However, his anti-Hindu mentality has been exposed,” Gupta said.
Huge hoardings and posters depicting Kejriwal in a skull cap and calling him anti-Hindu came up in several parts of Gujarat Saturday where addressed election rallies.
In a letter, which is not addressed to anyone, Gautam has written that on October 5, 2022, he had taken part in the event held at Ambedkar Bhavan in his personal capacity and as a member of the community, which has nothing to do with the AAP or the Delhi cabinet.
He has written that the 22 vows of Dr Ambedkar were repeated at the event by the more than 10,000 people present there, including him. ‘I have been witnessing that since then, BJP leaders are targeting Shri Arvind Kejriwal and AAP, which is very hurtful for me,” he has written.
आज महर्षि वाल्मीकि जी का प्रकटोत्सव दिवस है एवं दूसरी ओर मान्यवर कांशीराम साहेब की पुण्यतिथि भी है। ऐसे संयोग में आ… https://t.co/6pr1prNLJF
— Rajendra Pal Gautam (@AdvRajendraPal) 1665314889000
“Today is the ‘Prakatotsav’ of Maharishi Valmiki ji and on the other hand, it is also the death anniversary of Manyavar Kanshi Ram Saheb. It is a coincidence that today, I have been freed of many shackles and today I have been born again. Now I will continue to fight for the rights and against atrocities on the society more firmly without any restrictions,” Gautam tweeted in Hindi on Sunday evening.
Gautam has written that he is a true patriot, and an Ambedkarite from his heart. He has also written that atrocities committed against his community and caste-based discrimination breaks his heart. He has written that he has received a lot of respect and cooperation from Kejriwal, for which he will always remain grateful.
The AAP MLA from northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri constituency has also claimed in the letter that he and his family have been receiving threats but he will not get scared and will keep fighting for the rights of his community. He also wrote that ‘being a true solider of the party’, he will keep following the footsteps of Gautam Buddha and Dr BR Ambedkar.
The Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also said that Gautam had resigned due to pressure from the BJP but that is not enough. Bidhuri demanded that legal action should be taken against Gautam and he should also be expelled from the party.
Gupta said that insult to Hindu deities can never be tolerated and even though Gautam has resigned, he has not apologized to anyone. “Despite holding a constitutional post, the way they speak anti-Hinduism, the Constitution does not give them this right,” he said.
He also said that the relation between Hindus and Buddhists is that of flesh and blood and no one can separate them.