New Delhi: As it completed an eventful 100 days in office, the AAP government on Sunday mounted a blistering attack on the Modi dispensation, accusing it of making a “U-turn” on granting full statehood to Delhi and indicated tabling a resolution to reject the “unconstitutional” notification giving absolute powers to the Lt. Governor.
In further hardening of its position, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the AAP government would not compromise on the issue and alleged that the Centre was trying to run Delhi “by hook or by crook” and violating the “federal structure.”
The party legislators went into a huddle with the top leadership at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence ahead of the two-day ‘emergency’ session of the Delhi Assembly starting on Tuesday.
The MLAs slammed the Centre’s “infringement” on their rights, setting the tone for the Assembly session. The party has a strength of 67 in a House of 70.
Sources said there will be an “open” Cabinet meeting at a public event on Monday on the occasion of 100 days of the AAP government, where the full statehood issue is likely to be discussed.
Though the MLAs refused to come on record on whether the party would move a resolution against the Home Ministry’s notification, the sources said such a step was “very likely.”
“Modiji himself said and they put it in their manifesto to give Delhi full statehood. Now, when the issue has come up, let alone our right, or talking about it, they are trying to bully us [ dadagiri dikha rahen hain]. The Delhi government will not be mum on the issue,” Mr. Sisodia said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said he had “hope” from the upcoming session as the “Assembly is the mother of government and it is the supreme and most empowered body.”
In the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls last year, the BJP promised to declare Delhi a full state if the party came to power, noting that it will help ensure proper coordination between various agencies. The BJP had swept the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi winning all seven seats with huge margins.
However, the party did not clearly spell out its position on the statehood issue in its vision document released ahead of the Assembly polls in February. In its manifestoes for previous Assembly polls, the party had promised full statehood.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that full statehood rights could not be given to Delhi unless there was general consensus in the country over the issue as the matter concerned the national capital.
