Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Raaj Kumar Anand, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly denying his request to work towards the welfare of Dalits.

After joining the BJP, Anand said, “I am grateful to the BJP for giving me the opportunity to join the party. I am committed to working for the welfare of all, particularly the Dalit community, to which I belong.”

Anand said that he had requested Kejriwal to work towards the welfare of Dalits. However, he denied his requests.

“It is my responsibility to give back to society. I had requested Mr Kejriwal to work towards Dalit welfare, but he consistently denied my requests, which led to my resignation from the ministerial post,” Anand was quoted by ANI as saying on Wednesday.

He added, “Despite the allocation of funds for Dalit welfare through the SC/ST fund, crores of rupees have not been utilised for the benefit of Dalits in Delhi over the past nine years.”

Anand said the Dalit community is questioning the whereabouts of their welfare funds. “…Unfortunately, Mr Kejriwal ignored the Dalit community during the Trith Yatra Yojana. I am determined to work for the upliftment of Dalits and ensure that their rights are protected”, he said.

Raaj Kumar Anand is now a BJP leader

BSP leader Raaj Kumar Anand and his wife Veena Anand joined the BJP in Delhi on Wednesday. He had resigned from the AAP in April this year, alleging corruption in the party, and joined the BSP in April ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. He was the Social Welfare Minister in the AAP government in Delhi.

#WATCH | BSP leader Raaj Kumar Anand, his wife Veena Anand and some other leaders join the BJP in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/SURDclKv6d

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2024

Anand was elected to the Delhi assembly in 2020 and he represented the Patel Nagar assembly constituency. He held multiple portfolios in the Kejriwal cabinet, including Social Welfare, SC and ST, Gurudwara elections, and Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

Before joining AAP, Anand was a businessman and was pictured beside Kejriwal in the Anna-Hazare-led movement against corruption in 2011.