Another Dalit legislator may replace Kumar in the cabinet

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has not announced a replacement for women and child development minister Sandeep Kumar, who was dropped by chief minister Arvind

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has not announced a replacement for women and child development minister Sandeep Kumar, who was dropped by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from his cabinet on Wednesday.

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Senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders met on Thursday at the chief minister’s residence to discuss the crisis after a sex tape surfaced allegedly featuring Kumar. Sources, however, said no decision has been taken over who will replace Kumar in the cabinet.

“It is a prerogative of the Chief Minister,” said a government spokesperson.

Kejriwal will be out of the city for three days starting Friday. He is going to the Vatican City to attend the canon is at ion of Mother Teresa. A decision is likely after Kejriwal returns to the city but sources said Kumar will be replaced by a Dalit legislator.

The AAP has been projecting itself as a party of the poor and targeted the BJP government at the Centre over recent incidents of atrocities against Dalits reported from several states.

The party is also planning to come up with a special Dalit manifesto this month for the Punjab assembly polls, scheduled early next year. The agrarian state has a high concentration of Dal it voters.

Twelve of the 70 seats in Delhi assembly are reserved for SC candidates. AAP won all these seats in the 2015 assembly polls.

Among the Dalit MLAs, Rakhi Bidlan was recently appointed the deputy Speaker. Seemapuri legislator Rajendra Pal Gautam is also among the active legislators in the assembly. Two-time legislator from Madipur, Girish Soni was a minister in the 49-day government formed by AAP in 2013.

Kumar’s fate in party continues to hang in balance. However, in a video message on Thursday, Kejriwal said party will soon hold a meeting and decide on action against the sacked minister. Sources said the party is likely to constitute a disciplinary committee to look into the case.

Sources said AAP had failed to take disciplinary action against its legislators, who have embarrassed the party in the past.

After Kejriwal sacked Asim Ahmed Khan from the post of environment minister over allegations of corruption, a committee was constituted to probe the matter. A CBI inquiry was also recommended.

Khan, however, continues to be a member of the party despite alleging that the chief minister’s office was conspiring to get him “eliminated”.

Former minister Jitender Singh Tomar, sacked after he was arrested in a forgery and fake degree case, also continues to be a member of the party.