New Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi formally took charge as the chief minister of Delhi on Monday (Sep 23) but with a slight twist. She sat on a different seat, leaving the one used by her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, vacant.
Atishi took to X (formerly Twitter) and drew symbolism from the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana where Lord Ram had to spend 14 years in the wilderness. She referred to herself as 'Bharat', brother of Lord Ram.
“I have taken charge as the chief minister of Delhi today and accepted this responsibility. My feelings today are the same as Bharat's when Lord Ram went into exile for 14 years and Bharat had to manage the governance of Ayodhya,” said Atishi.
Atishi took charge a couple of days after taking the oath and President Droupadi Murmu confirming her appointment. She is the third woman CM in Delhi's history, following in the footsteps of BJP's Sushma Swaraj and Congress' Sheila Dikshit.
आज मैंने दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री की ज़िम्मेदारी सँभाली है। आज मेरे मन में वो ही व्यथा है जो भरत के मन में थी जब उनके बड़े भाई भगवान श्री राम 14 साल के वनवास पर गए थे, और भरत जी को अयोध्या का शासन सँभालना पड़ा था। जैसे भरत ने 14 साल भगवान श्री राम की खड़ाऊँ रख कर अयोध्या का शासन… pic.twitter.com/OkNEgtYIq4
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) September 23, 2024
Atishi, a stop-gap measure
While announcing his shock resignation, Kejriwal stated that a member of the party, Atishi, in this case, will be named the CM in the meantime. Kejriwal said he wanted to win the mandate of the public again before sitting on the CM's throne.
He also demanded that the elections in the national capital, scheduled for next year, be held alongside the Maharashtra assembly election in November.
"Elections in Delhi are months away. I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the people's court. I will sit on the chief minister's chair only after the order of the people," Kejriwal said.
"The elections are supposed to be held in February. I demand elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections," he said.
Also read | President Murmu appoints Atishi as Delhi's new Chief Minister
Talking about why he didn't resign as the CM while being in jail, Kejriwal said he wanted to protect the democracy in the country.
"I didn't resign because I wanted to protect the country's democracy. They have made a new formula -- wherever they lose, they send the CM to jail and form their government," said Kejriwal.
(With inputs from agencies)