Senior AAP leader and Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot quit the cabinet and the party on Sunday, citing alleged corruption by party convener Arvind Kejriwal and stressing that Delhi could not progress if the government was constantly fighting with the Centre.

Gahlot, a non-controversial Jat leader, had withdrawn himself from party activities after he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in the liquor scam in March. He had, however, continued to praise Kejriwal in public events and referred to him as a “modern-day freedom fighter” in his Independence Day speech.

In his resignation letter, which was made public, Gahlot told Kejriwal: “Now there are many embarrassing and awkward controversies like the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ (as the renovated CM’s bungalow is referred to by a section of the media and the BJP), which are now making everyone doubt whether we still believe in being the ‘Aam Aadmi’.”

He added that “instead of fighting for people’s rights we have increasingly only been fighting for our own political agenda. This has severely crippled our ability to even deliver basic services to the people of Delhi. It is now obvious that real progress for Delhi cannot happen if the Delhi government spends the majority of its time fighting with the Centre.”

Gahlot holds several portfolios besides transport and was also instrumental in introducing Delhi’s electric bus fleet.

Asked about Gahlot’s resignation at a media conference to induct former BJP MLA Anil Jha into the AAP, Kejriwal passed on the mic to senior party leader and MLA Durgesh Pathak.

“Kailashji was being pressurised for the last few months through ED-IT raids. He had no way out. It has become clear that the BJP is contesting the elections on the strength of its investigating agencies and it is going to lose the elections once again,” Pathak said.