Conspiracy based on false, baseless charges, claims Manish Sisodia in resignation letter
New Delhi, Feb 28: AAP leader Manish Sisodia, in his letter of resignation from the Delhi Cabinet, alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched against him based on false and baseless charges and asserted that truth will emerge.
The three-page undated letter bears the seal of the office of the deputy chief minister.
In a significant turn of events, arrested Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain Tuesday resigned from the Arvind Kejriwal-led cabinet amidst BJP's persistent onslaught against the AAP over the corruption charges against its leaders.
Sisodia, in the letter, asserted that he worked for various departments of the Delhi government with utmost honesty and has the blessings of lakhs of children and the love of their parents.
"The biggest thing is that I have the blessings of thousands of teachers who were involved in ushering the education revolution in Delhi. The truth regarding the allegations levelled against me will emerge and it will be proved that these are false.
"Now that they have hatched a conspiracy based on false and baseless allegations, and crossed all limits and put me in jail, hence I do not wish to continue as a minister," the letter stated.
Sisodia, who was the administrative face of the Delhi government, held 18 of the 33 departments.
He said that many FIRs were lodged against him, and many cases will be filed against him even in the future. Alleging that he has been "threatened, coerced and lured", Sisodia said that he "did not bow down before them and was therefore put behind bars".
Asserting that he was not scared of jails and that freedom fighters were his inspiration, Sisodia said in the letter, "It is extremely sad that despite working with honesty and integrity for the last eight years, corruption allegations were levelled against me. I know and even my God knows that these allegations are false."
"These allegations, in reality, are nothing but a conspiracy by those weak and cowardly people who are scared of Arvind Kejriwal's politics of truth. I am not their target but their target is AAP. This is because not only Delhi but the entire country is seeing you as a leader with a vision for the nation and implementation of that vision could bring huge changes in the lives of people.
"Arvind Kejriwal has become a beacon of hope for people who are faced with a financial crunch, poverty, unemployment, price rise and corruption. Your words are considered not viewed as hollow promises (jumlas)."
Sisodia, who was responsible for steering the education model of the Kejriwal government, said the conspiracies will further strengthen the AAP's politics of truth.
During a press conference, AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj was asked about Sisodia's letter being undated. He replied, "It is in the public domain that Sisodia ji is allowed to meet his lawyers in custody. BJP has problems in everything -- whether the ministers resign or they don't."
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
