In a letter to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal asked him to choose a Dalit MLA as the Delhi Assembly's Leader of the Opposition (LoP).
Maliwal's appeal coincides with contentious discussions on the composition of the opposition leadership following the most recent elections in Delhi.
In her message, she wished well and peace of mind to Kejriwal after the outcome of the elections. She also mentioned his vow during the Punjab assembly elections held in 2022, that if the AAP came to power, a Dalit leader would be made the deputy chief minister. But she noted that till now, even after three years, this promise has not been kept.
"You will recall that during the Punjab elections of 2022, you promised that after winning, we would appoint a Dalit Deputy Chief Minister. It is unfortunate that even after three years, this promise remains unfulfilled," said Maliwal.
She emphasized again that since a Leader of the Opposition has to be named in Delhi, it would be the right time for Kejriwal to remain true to his previous commitment.
She urged him to "appoint a Dalit MLA from the party as the Leader of Opposition in Delhi".
Maliwal pointed out that appointing a Dalit as the Leader of the Opposition would be not only a political gesture but a sincere effort to implement the values of justice and equality for which AAP stands.
She appealed to Kejriwal to show that his party is committed to practicing, and not just talking about, the politics of justice and equality.
"I urge you to stand by your promise this time and show that you do not just talk about equality, but actually implement it," she wrote.
Maliwal asked Kejriwal to take a historic decision for Delhi now and not repeat Punjab's broken promises.
The swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister and cabinet members will be held at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday. The Delhi Assembly election was won by the BJP two weeks ago with a huge majority, capturing 48 of the 70 seats.
After a decade of rule in Delhi, the AAP could only win 22 seats, and many of its top leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Arvind Kejriwal, lost their seats. The Congress party for the third year in a row could not win a single seat.
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