Full Text: Kejriwal’s Resignation Speech

On 28 December we took an oath. Friends, our biggest promise was that we will pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, a strong law against corruption. These Congressis had given in writing that they would support the Jan Lokpal Bill. But today in VIdhan Sabha, when we tried to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly, the Congress and the BJP got together.

This has never happened in the history of india. But they got together. Behind our backs, behind the curtains, they are looting the country. In the last two days, their true face has emerged. They together ensured that the Jan Lokpal Bill was not even tabled.

Friends, three days ago, we filed an FIR against Mukesh Ambani. Mukesh Ambani is the person who runs this country’s government. Mukesh Ambani has said the Congress is his shop, that he can purchase what he wants from the Congress. For 10 years, the UPA has been run by Mukesh Ambani. And over the past year, Mukesh Ambani has backed Modiji also.

Where does Modiji get so much money from? He roams around in helicopters, where does the money for those big rallies come from? Mukesh Ambani is behind it.

Friends, as soon as we raised our voice against Mukesh Ambani, the Congress and BJP got together. They didnt let the Jan Lokpal Bill be presented. They felt Kejriwal has only a minor anti-corruption bureau now but has managed to cause such a nuisance. If the Jan Lokpal comes into being, then more than half of these people will go to jail. That is why these two parties caused the bill to collapse.

For now we have exposed Mukesh Ambani and Veerappa Moily. Maybe tomorrow it will be Sharad Pawar’s turn. Maybe Kamal Nath’s turn will come. So at any cost, they had to do this.

I am a very small person. I have no aukaat. I am one of you. I didnt come here for power or for the chair. And that is why our government hereby resigns. A hundred chief ministerial chairs can be sacrificed for the Jan Lokpal Bill –we are ready. If we need to lay down our lives for the country, I will consider myself lucky.

We just had a Cabinet meeting and decided that our government will resign today. Here is my resignation. I will go now to the lieutenant governor now. Our cabinet has recommended that the Vidhan Sabha be dissolved and re-election held.

Since we formed the government on December 28, our ministers haven’t slept soundly even a single night. They are working day and night. We have left no stone unturned in our efforts. We reduced power and water tariff. We ordered an audit of power companies. We reduced corruption.

We have worked with complete integrity and the best intentions. Maybe we made mistakes, we are humans, but we tried our best.

They say we cannot govern. But in the past so many years, they couldn’t audit the power companies, we did it in five days; in 65 years they couldn’t reduce corruption, we did it in 49 days. We filed an FIR against corruption by Sheila, Mukesh Ambani — they say govern, don’t do all this.

Arrey, acting against the corrupt is true governance.

I felt sometimes that if we had taken a few crores and thrown some to the BJP and Congress then they would say this is good work done.

My mind is saddened by what has transpired in Parliament and in Vidhan Sabha, they way they threw pepper spray in Parliament, broke my microphone in Vidhan Sabha, tore my papers, gave bangles to one minister.. what is the meaning of giving bangles? Does the BJP respect women?

They say Parliament is a temple of democracy, that the Vidhan Sabha is a temple, a masjid. I want to ask, do you break idols in a temple? Or tear the Quran in a masjid? Tear the Bible in a church, break the idol of Jesus Christ in a church?

I am ashamed. These people have shamed Vidhan Sabha and Parliament.

They say what we did is unconstitutional. An FIR is unconstitutional, it’s unconstitutional if I say end corruption, it’s unconstitutional if I say bring Lokpal. Tabling laws in Vidhan Sabha requires the okay of the Centre, they say. They are lying my friends, I have read the Constitution and nowhere does it say that the Centre’s nod is required.

The Centre thinks they are colonial rulers. The L-G of Delhi thinks he is the Viceroy. They think nothing of the Assembly. They believe we haven’t got freedom yet form the British. All work will be done after asking them, they imagine.

I will follow the Constitution. I will sacrifice my life for the Constitution. And the Jan Lokpal Bill is fully constitutional. They are lying, because they want to keep up their corrupt practices.

Friends, they tear papers in Parliament, they thieve, all this is Constitutional they think. And we are fighting for the country and that is unconstitutional?

The people of this country will teach you a lesson. The people of the country will not stay quiet.

I will go straight to the L-G now. I pray to God that we are small people, please be kind to us, give us good sense. Give us the ability to sacrifice our lives for this country.

-agency inputs