The Delhi Government on Thursday got two new ministers in the Cabinet that is led by Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Greater Kailash MLA Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj and Kalkaji MLA Ms Atishi were administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena. The swearing-in ceremony took place in the presence of the Chief Minister, other ministers and senior officials of the Delhi Government.
While Ms Atishi will take charge of key portfolios such as Education, PWD, Electricity and Tourism Department, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj will be in-charge of Health, Urban Development, Water and Industries department.
Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal congratulated both the ministers on this momentous occasion and said that the people of Delhi have a lot of expectations from both these ministers. The Delhi CM tweeted, “Many congratulations and best wishes to Atishi ji and Saurabh ji on assuming their new responsibilities. You both have to take forward the good work of Manish ji and Satyendar ji. People have high expectations from both of you.”
Ms Atishi represents Kalkaji constituency of Delhi and is a celebrated education reformer and Rhodes Scholar. She has served as the Advisor to the Education Minister of Delhi, in the past, and has also served as the chairperson of Delhi Assembly’s Standing Committee on Education. Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj is a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash constituency. As of date, he has been serving as the Vice Chairperson of Delhi Jal Board (DJB). In the past, he had served as Delhi’s Transport Minister in the first Kejriwal Cabinet.
Speaking to the media after the swearing-in ceremony, Ms Atishi said that the Central Government has managed to arrest two of AAP’s senior leaders and former minister of the Delhi Government, Shri Manish Sisodia and Shri Satyendra Jain, in fake cases and keep them in jail. However, since the developmental works of the people of Delhi should not be stopped because of political constraints, she added that, until the two senior leaders come out of jail, Shri Arvind Kejriwal has assigned Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj and her the task of ensuring that the promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party government is followed.
Giving a reference from the Ramayana, she said, “Just like how when Shri Ram was sent on an exile, it was his younger brother who put the ‘Khadau’ of his elder brother on the throne and handled the affairs of the kingdom. Similarly, until the time our two senior leaders who have been arrested on false charges manage to come out of jail, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj and I will handle their portfolio and make sure that the revolution that they had brought about in the fields of education and healthcare is continued.”
Speaking to the media after the swearing-in ceremony, Greater Kailash MLA Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj lauded the work of former ministers Shri Manish Sisodia and Shri Satyendar Jain and said that every person in Delhi sincerely hoped that these two leaders come out of jail to continue the good work that they had started, but until they return Ms Atishi and himself will be continuing the work started by them.
When asked about the key agenda of the Delhi Government over the next couple of weeks, he said that the focus would be on the flagship schemes of the Delhi Government. “There are three schemes that are called the flagship schemes of the Kejriwal Government: Healthcare, Education and Clean Yamuna Mission. This will continue to be our main agenda apart from providing all the basic facilities to the people like clean drinking water. Over the last couple of days, the work of the Delhi Government had slowed down because of this constant attack on our leaders by the Central Government, but we will make sure to catch up with all the pending work,” he said.
