The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday (May 6) evening announced a minor Cabinet reshuffle in Delhi that seemed to have the potential for major turmoil within the party. The AAP removed Kapil Mishra as Delhi's water minister, replacing him with Kailash Gahlot. Meanwhile, he threatened to make a big expose at 11 am on Sunday (May 7), further adding to the AAP's problems.
The move gave rise to speculation that Mishra had earned the wrath of AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his comments on the electronic voting machine (EVM) issue following the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. However, as the evening progressed, there were more indications that his removal from the Cabinet had something to do with the corruption expose he had promised with regard to the water tanker scam.
The removal
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told ANI on Saturday evening: "[Although] Kapil Mishra made a lot of effort, [his] water management was not up to the mark. The chief minister decided to bring in Kailash Gahlot in his place." He added: "A total of two have been included in the Cabinet now: Kailash Gahlot [in place of Mishra] and Rajendra Gautam for a post that was vacant."
Reacting to his removal, Mishra told ANI: "I have received no official communication yet. However, I had told the chief minister that I can't tolerate a delay in the tanker scam report." He was referring to the Rs. 400 crore water tanker scam, in which both Kejriwal and the previous Delhi chief minister – Congress leader Sheila Dikshit – have been named as accused.
While Dikshit is accused of allowing irregularities in the manner in which steel-body tankers were acquired for the job, Kejriwal was booked in the case following a complaint by a BJP MLA that he was trying to delay or block the investigation into the scam.
The coming expose
Mishra, it may be noted, had earlier on Saturday said that he was going to make some big revelations regarding the water tanker scam on Sunday. He had also said that he had visited Kejriwal and told him about this. "I had informed the chief minister that I would submit names of those who are involved in the delay [in investigation] to Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB)," he told ANI.
He later said on his Twitter handle that news outlets were being called up and told that he had not visited Kejriwal. He demanded that CCTV footage of Kejriwal's residence be made public to prove that he was telling the truth.
Mishra also told a news channel late at night that he would make a big expose about the water tanker scam at 11 am on Sunday. He claimed that he would name some big people close to Kejriwal as those who were delaying the ACB investigation into the scam.
It may be noted here that Mishra had been sacked as Delhi law minister in 2015 when he had initiated the proceedings that would lead to the water tanker scam investigation.
