AAP sacks Women and Child Development Minister Sandeep Kumar

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sacked Women and Child Development Minister Sandeep Kumar after receiving a CD carrying a 9-minute video and 11 pictures showing Kumar purportedly having sex with two women.

Kejriwal announced the decision through a tweet on Wednesday evening. "Received objectionable CD of Minister Sandeep Kumar. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised.

Removing him from Cabinet with immediate effect," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter around 8:30 pm. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told media persons that Kejriwal received the objectionable CD around 8 pm and took the decision within 30 minutes.

"We have a zero tolerance policy...that is the difference between AAP and other parties," Sisodia told mediapersons. The decision to sack Kumar without any delay was taken at a hurriedly-convened meeting of AAP's Political Affairs Committee at Kejriwal's residence.

It is believed that a complainant had sent the CD to Delhi LG Najeeb Jung and CM Arvind Kejriwal besides some TV channels. BJP and Congress leaders criticised AAP and said that the party was earlier too forced to sack its ministers for forged degrees and corruption. Congress leader Ajay Maken questioned why AAP had not dismissed Kumar from the party and merely removed him as a minister and said earlier offender MLAs and ministers of the party had not been sacked from the party by Kejriwal.

"Acts of Sandeep Kumar shocking and unfortunate. Such people don't deserve to be minister, yet alone WCD minister. Good government has sacked him," Delhi Commission of Women Chairman and AAP leader Swati Maliwal wrote on Twitter on Kumar's sacking. Kumar represents Sultanpur Majra constituency. He is the second AAP minister to be removed after Asim Ahmed Khan who was Minister for Food and Supplies, sacked on allegations of corruption. In June last year, Delhi Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar had resigned from his post after he was arrested on the charge of possessing fake degrees.