Congress MP Tankha welcomes Kejriwal’s announcement to step down as Delhi CM

Srinagar, Sep 15 (PTI) Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha on Sunday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement to step down is a right step as he could not achieve anything by remaining in the chair due to the conditions created by the BJP.

“He was distressed. He was forcibly kept in jail, the agencies were not letting him go. It was only after the SC gave him relief that he has come out. What else could he do?” Tankha said here.

The Congress leader said Kejriwal must have thought the time has come to come out on the roads to fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.

“Till the time he would have been the CM, they (BJP) would neither have let him work as the CM, nor keep him out for long. So, he must have thought that he should leave the thing that he is being troubled for. I think he wants to increase his credibility and take the fight against the BJP out on the roads,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Tankha said Kejriwal’s announcement was not done under pressure from the BJP, “but the BJP has created such a situation because of which he was not able to work”.

“Kejriwal was released, but the CM was not. Under the bail conditions, he could not come to office or sign files or participate in any work, so what could he achieve by remaining the CM? I think what Kejriwal did is right.

Now, Delhi will at least have a full-fledged CM,” he added.

Earlier, addressing a press conference at the party office here, Tankha — the lone Kashmiri Pandit Member of Parliament from the Congress — said only his party has given respect to Kashmir and Kashmiriyat.

“If we have to maintain that respect, then we have to support the Congress party only,” he said.

The MP said he wants an atmosphere of integration and unity in Jammu and Kashmir and “only NC-Congress alliance will be able to provide that”.

To a question about speculations that the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance was on the rocks as several leaders from both the parties were contesting as independents against alliance candidates, Tankha said there is no room for such rumours.

“I had tea at (NC president) Farooq Abdullah’s residence yesterday and was there for one-and-a-half hours. We interacted in a very cordial atmosphere. We have come together to fight for restoration of democracy and constitution, as well as restoration of statehood,” the Congress leader said.

“I am sure a pro-people government of the NC-Congress will be formed after the polls,” he added.

Tankha appealed to the Congress leaders contesting as independents against the alliance candidates to withdraw from the contest as the fight right now was not personal, but a bigger one for the restoration of democracy and the Constitution.

“I appeal to them not to contest against the NC-Congress alliance and they should withdraw and support the Congress and its alliance partner. This is the time to restore democracy. This is a bigger fight for democracy and not a personal fight,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.