New Delhi: Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Wednesday resigned from the cabinet and quit the AAP, alleging Dalits did not have adequate representation in the party.
Addressing a press conference here, Anand, who was holding various portfolios including Social Welfare, said, "It is with great regret that it has to be said that politics has not changed but politicians have changed. Aam Aadmi Party was born out of the movement against corruption. But today the same party is stuck in the quagmire of corruption. It has become uncomfortable for me to work in this government while holding the post of minister. I am resigning from the ministerial post and the party because I do not want my name to be associated with these corrupt practices."
He also alleged that Dalit MLAs, minister or councillors of the AAP were not given any respect.
Anand is an MLA from the Patel Nagar constituency.
It is worth noting that the Enforcement Directorate on November 3, 2023, raided Anand's residence on allegations of making hawala payments to China and evading customs duty of Rs 7 crore on imports.
The agency had said it initiated investigation against Anand and persons and entities linked to him "on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence" for the commission of offence under various sections of the Customs Act, 1962.
Anand had then claimed that the case against him dates back to 2005 and that he did no wrong.
The DRI is an investigation organisation under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), while hawala denotes illegal and fraudulent KYC-based monetary transactions through both banking and non-banking channels.
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