A day after stepping down from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), former Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. The induction took place in the presence of Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, BJP national general secretary Dushyant Gautam, and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva.

In his resignation letter addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, Gahlot stated: “Political ambitions have overtaken our commitment towards people, leaving many promises unfulfilled.” He also criticised AAP’s frequent clashes with the central government, saying it had “severely crippled” the party’s ability to serve Delhi’s residents effectively.

After joining the BJP, Gahlot remarked, “I had left my practice as an advocate and joined the Aam Aadmi Party. Several persons like me had joined the party as they had hopes with its ideology. The hope was to serve the residents of Delhi. But those values have been lost. If the state government invests its whole time in fighting with the Union government, then there can be no development in Delhi.”

Gahlot, the MLA from Delhi’s Najafgarh constituency, has held key portfolios in the Delhi government, including home, transport, IT, and women and child development. In his resignation letter, he referenced controversies like the “Sheeshmahal” episode, involving the renovation of Kejriwal’s residence, stating it had “made everyone doubt whether we still believe in being the Aam Aadmi.”

Responding to Gahlot’s move, Kejriwal said,“He is free; he can go wherever he wants.” AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak alleged Gahlot faced income tax raids and had “no option but to join the BJP,” accusing the BJP of using agencies like the ED and CBI to pressure opponents.

Denying these allegations, Gahlot said, “There is a narrative that I did this due to pressure from the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Enforcement Directorate. I want to assert that since 2015, as an AAP member, as MLA and as a minister, I have never done anything due to pressure.”