New Delhi. Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and minister Atishi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to topple the Arvind Kejriwal-led government through the “back door” by imposing President’s rule in Delhi. This allegation has been made at a time when just a day earlier the President’s Secretariat had forwarded a memorandum of the opposition party BJP to the Home Ministry for “appropriate attention”. The memorandum said that Delhi is facing a constitutional crisis.
Speaking to PTI-Bhasha, Atishi said that if the Kejriwal-led government is toppled, Delhiites will give a befitting reply to the BJP by giving it zero seats in the upcoming assembly elections and the Aam Aadmi Party will win all 70 seats.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Monday said the memorandum submitted by BJP MLAs to President Draupadi Murmu on August 30 demanding dismissal of the AAP-led government for alleged violation of the Constitution has been sent to the Home Ministry.
Gupta said in a press conference on Tuesday that the Kejriwal government should respond to the issues raised in the memorandum and alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party was playing the “victim card” on the issue and “misleading” the people. Atishi said that the only work of the BJP is to topple elected governments in the country through its “Operation Lotus”, as happened in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Manipur. The minister alleged, “They also tried Operation Lotus in Delhi to topple the government by buying AAP MLAs, but they failed. Now they are conspiring to impose President’s rule through the back door to topple Arvind Kejriwal’s popular government in Delhi.”
Atishi said the people of Delhi “love” Kejriwal because he has provided them with good schools, hospitals, electric buses, free bus travel for women and free pilgrimages for the elderly. “If the BJP topples the Kejriwal government, the people of Delhi will give it a befitting reply. The BJP will also lose its current eight seats and will be reduced to zero in the upcoming assembly elections and the AAP will win all 70 seats,” she said. Elections for the 70 seats of the Delhi Assembly are due early next year.
Gupta said in a press conference that in the meeting with the President, the delegation of BJP MLAs discussed the constitutional crisis created in Delhi due to the “continuous violation of constitutional norms” by the Delhi government and submitted a memorandum demanding the dismissal of the government. Earlier on Monday, Gupta shared a letter written by the President’s Secretariat to the Home Ministry to give “due attention” to the memorandum of BJP MLAs and said that he has also urged the Union Home Secretary to take “immediate and appropriate action” on the matter.
He said that the AAP government has violated the Constitution by not forming the Sixth Delhi Finance Commission, due to which a chaotic financial situation has arisen before the Delhi Municipal Corporation and the session of the Assembly has also not been called for the last five months.
Gupta alleged that Minister Atishi has suppressed 11 reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for a long time, which should have been presented in the assembly. He said, “By not doing so, the government is violating constitutional norms.” Gupta claimed that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in judicial custody in the excise policy case, is trying to run the government from jail. He claimed, “No file has been signed for the last five months and no cabinet meeting has been held.”
Gupta said, “Kejriwal has refused to resign, which has created an unprecedented situation and governance in Delhi has completely collapsed. Important administrative decisions are being delayed and essential services are being badly affected, which is directly affecting the lives of the citizens of Delhi.” Senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said in a press conference that it seems that the BJP has probably conducted a survey and has realized that it cannot win the election against the AAP.
Bhardwaj alleged, “They (BJP) have their own President, Home Ministry, Lieutenant Governor and delegation. If they decide, it (President’s rule) will happen. They are all one.” Gupta hit back, saying the AAP government in Delhi has “repeatedly violated constitutional norms” and has no right to remain in power, which is why the BJP has demanded its dismissal.