NEW DELHI :  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sacked Kapil Mishra, Delhi’s Tourism and Water Minister from his cabinet and inducted two new faces, Rajendra Gautam and Kailash Gehlot. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced the change on Saturday evening, saying Mr Mishra was removed due to issues in managing the city’s water supply. Najafgarh legislator Kailash Gehlot has replaced Mr Mishra.
But there were indications that the cabinet reshuffle may have something to do with fissures within the party.Minutes before Mr Sisodia made the announcement, Mr Mishra – who is close to AAP leader Kumar Vishwas – tweeted that there will be a “massive expose on a water tanker scam tomorrow”. Mr Mishra said he had already briefed the Chief Minister about the “explosive details” and would make it public.
His sack order came soon after. When someone wondered if it was an attempt to suppress the tanker scam that he had unearthed, Mr Mishra promptly retweeted it.Around the same time, Kumar Vishwas also put out a cryptic tweet. “I want to assure the country and party workers that we will continue to raise our voice against corruption, within and without, irrespective of what the outcome is,” he wrote in Hindi.
This is the latest in a series of crises to hit AAP, which is reeling from three election defeats including the drubbing in the Delhi civic polls. Just three days earlier, Mr Vishwas had said he was not quitting AAP. A Delhi legislator who had accused Mr Vishwas of plotting a coup against party chief Arvind Kejriwal was suspended.Though Kumar Vishwas, a popular Hindi poet and satirist, is a founder member of AAP he has held no top party posts and has only been responsible for overseas funding so far.

There has been speculation periodically about Mr Vishwas’ quitting AAP to join the BJP ever since he had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few years ago. He recently said that he feels no need to apologise for praising the PM.

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