New Delhi: Delhi legislator Alka Lamba was asked to resign from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday, hours after the party denied passing a state assembly resolution apparently aimed at withdrawing late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna over his failure to curb the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The AAP MLA said she will tender her resignation as “demanded” by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not supporting a resolution in the assembly.
The Delhi Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution in which it was demanded that the Bharat Ratna awarded to Rajiv Gandhi be withdrawn, but the AAP swiftly distanced itself from the reference to the Congress leader.
The matter became a major crisis, with Lamba alleging she was “put under pressure” to support the resolution, which she resisted and boycotted.
Lamba said she was ready to face “any consequences” and claimed she spoke to AAP supremo and CM Kejriwal who, she said, asked her to resign as MLA. “I am ready to do so”, she said.
The Chandni Chowk MLA said she was not happy with the demand to take back Bharat Ratna from Gandhi and staged a walkout in protest.
Interestingly, the AAP later distanced itself from the resolution. “After I staged a walkout, I got a message from the chief minister to tender my resignation,” she said.
When asked whether she will quit, Lamba added, “I have won on a party ticket. I will tender my resignation as demanded by the party,” the former Youth Congress leader said.
In a tweet, she said, “I was asked to support the resolution demanding taking back the Bharat Ratna awarded to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Since I didn’t agree to this, I staged a walk out. I am ready to accept whatever punishment given to me.”