Kapil Mishra says he will not leave AAP but clean up the party from within.
In a signal that the Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party could be heading right into another political crisis, sacked Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Saturday linked his removal from the Delhi Cabinet to his determination to reveal "big names" in the water tanker scandal.
But Mr Mishra, who is close to Kumar Vishwas who had too hurled the party into a crisis last week, made it clear that he could not be wished away by the party leadership. That he would stay within the party and fight for what he believed was right. "This is my party... Will not go anywhere. Will Stay here and clean up, remove the trash," he said on Twitter, echoing Kumar Vishwas who also declared that "we will continue to raise our voice against corruption, within and without".
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who made the announcement, said Mr Mishra had worked hard but "water management was not up to the mark. There were complaints about water not reaching people".
First in tweets, and later before the camera, Mr Mishra suggested this wasn't accurate and took pot-shots at the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues for dropping him.
"I am the only minister with no corruption charges, No CBI inquiry against me. I did not give my daughter, relatives any post. But exposed Sheila Dikshit (for the tanker scam)," he said. The point about the daughter was a barb aimed at Health Minister Satyendra Jain; he had appointed his daughter as an adviser who had to quit after the controversy broke out last year.
An inquiry into the tanker scam set up by the AAP government had last year put the size of the scam at Rs 400 crore, blaming former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for creating artificial water scarcity in parts of the national capital to benefit the "tanker mafia".
But the legislator from east Delhi's Karawal Nagar reserved the sharpest attack for the Chief Minister. He said Saturday's decision had nothing to do with the party's performance in the municipal elections but the water tanker scandal that he had briefed the Chief Minister.
"I will reveal big names, and maybe because of those names, such a decision has been made," Mr Mishra said. "I am Kapil Mishra and Kejriwal knows the role I have played against corruption," he added.
Earlier in the day, Mr Mishra had met the Chief Minister who he briefed about his findings. It is not clear what exactly he told Mr Kejriwal but when the water minister came back to his office, he wrote to the Anti-Corruption Branch chief to seek a meeting.
In the letter that he had put out on Twitter early in the day, Mr Mishra had complained how the ACB hadn't questioned former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit so far in the scam. But this was no ordinary reminder. He wrapped up the letter to seek a meeting with the anti-corruption officer to share with him some more information that he had come across with.