In a shocking announcement, Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he will step down as Delhi Chief Minister in the next two or three days, days after walking out of Tihar Jail in an alleged money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam.

“I am going to resign from the CM position after two days,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said while addressing the party workers in Delhi.  

Kejriwal added that he will not sit on the CM chair until the people give their verdict, and he will go to every house and street and not sit on the CM chair till he gets a verdict from the people. The Assembly election to Delhi is due early next year.

Attacking the BJP government, Kejriwal said, “They sent me to jail because their goal was to break the AAP and the courage of Kejriwal. They thought they would break our party and form a government in Delhi after jailing me. But our party did not break.”

“I did not resign from the jail because I wanted to protect the Constitution of India. I wanted to fail their formula. The Supreme Court asked the central government why a government cannot run from jail. The SC proved that a government can run from jail,” he added.

While addressing the gathering, Kejriwal appealed to the people of Delhi to cast their vote in his favour if they feel that Kejriwal is an honest leader in the coming Assembly elections.

“If you think I am honest, vote for me in large numbers. I will sit on the CM’s chair only after being elected,” he said. The elections are supposed to be held in February, he added.

Kejriwal demanded elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections. Till elections are held, someone else from the party will be the Chief Minister, the AAP chief said.

In the next 2-3 days, a meeting of the MLAs will be held, where the next CM will be decided, Kejriwal asserted.

The death toll in the collapse of a three-storey house in Zakir Nagar here has risen to 10 while the rescue work at the site is still underway, the district administration said on Sunday.

The administration stated that one person is feared to be still trapped under the debris.

Those who have been identified as deceased include: Sajid (40), Saniya (15), Saqib (11), Simra (one-and-half years), Reeza (7), Naffo (63), Farhana (20), Alisa (18), Aliya (6), and Rimsa (5 months). The administration stated that Sofiyan (6) is in stable condition.

Among the injured, Naeem (22), Nadeem (26), Saqib (20), and Saina (38) are receiving treatment at the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College.

The collapse of a three-storey house on Saturday afternoon trapped 15 people under the debris.

Meerut District Magistrate Deepak Meena told reporters, “When the rescue operation started, the relatives gave information about 15 persons. Three managed to escape when the building was collapsing.”

Meena added, “The death toll currently stands at 10, while five persons are alive. The rescue operations will continue until all the debris is removed.” He mentioned, “The bodies have been kept at the medical college for a post-mortem examination.”

Senior officials, including Meerut Zone Additional Director General of Police D K Thakur, Divisional Commissioner Selva Kumari J, Inspector General of Police Nachiketa Jha, and Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada, arrived at the scene to monitor the rescue operation.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire brigade, and police teams are all involved in the rescue operation.

Reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s unfortunate to refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque since it is an embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself remarks, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday said Adityanath is dividing the society for his vested political interest and he does not respect the court.

Speaking to PTI, the Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Abbas Haidar said, “It seems that Adityanath does not give respect to the court. The matter is pending in the court. It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister has taken the oath of the Constitution, but it seems he is not giving due respect to the court.

The Samajwadi Party slammed the Chief Minister over his remark even as the BJP and some saints of Ayodhya rallied around in his support.

“For his vested political interests, he is dividing the society. The mandate given by the public to the BJP also indicates that they have not spoken on issues related to people,” Haidar alleged.

While inaugurating an international seminar on “Contribution of Nath Panth in Building a Harmonious Society” at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University,  Adityanath made these remarks and also highlighted the spiritual significance of Kashi and the revered site of Gyanvapi.

“It is unfortunate that some people refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque while it is the embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself,” he said, and also made a detailed reference to legendary sage Adi Shankar, narrating an anecdote about his encounter with Lord Vishwanath in Kashi.

The Gyanvapi issue has been at the Centre of a long-drawn legal battle with the Hindu side arguing that the Gyanvapi mosque was allegedly built on the remains of a pre-existing temple, while the Muslim side has contested the claim.

UP BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla told PTI, “Historic, archaeological and spiritual evidence categorically indicate that Gyanvapi is a temple.”

Mahant of Ayodhya’s Hanumangarhi temple Raju Das said, “It is only the unfortunate people who are calling Gyanvapi a mosque. It is itself Vishwanath, and a temple of Kashi Vishwanath. Even if a blind person puts his or her hand over the structure, he or she would get a feeling of all the symbols of ‘Sanatan’.