NEW DELHI: Having held three press conferences in a week following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), his proactive wife Sunita is being seen as a possible candidate for elevation as the CM.
Though the AAP insists that Kejriwal will run the government from jail, its dismissal based on Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena’s recommendation cannot be ruled out.
Saxena has already said he would not allow the state government to be run from jail. It was read as an advice to Kejriwal to install a new person at the helm; else the Centre could invoke Article 239AB of the Constitution to impose President’s Rule. This Article was incorporated specifically for the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It is similar to Article 356. Article 239AB allows the L-G to recommend Central rule by suspending the House.
Sunita on Friday initiated a ‘Kejriwal ko Aashirwad’ campaign, sharing two WhatsApp numbers for his supporters to send their messages irrespective of gender, age, financial status and party affiliation.
Analysts saw in her press meets an indication of her possible bigger role. That she sat on the chair Kejriwal used to occupy at home during his public interactions did not go unnoticed. Sunita is a former IRS officer with 22 years of experience in service.
The BJP, however, mocked it, with Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri comparing Sunita with former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, saying she is perhaps preparing to hold the post of her husband.
United Nations weighs in
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global body hoped people’s “political and civil rights” are protected and everyone is able to vote in a free and fair atmosphere, in the wake of Kejriwal’s arrest
