BJP MLAs meet President Murmu, seek Kejriwal govt's dismissal

A delegation of Delhi BJP MLAs met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday to seek the dismissal of the AAP government over the "constitutional crisis" in the wake of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's imprisonment.

Hitting out at the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused it of disregarding the Constitution and accepting defeat even before elections are held in the national capital.

The BJP delegation, headed by Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, submitted a memorandum to the President and formally appealed to her for urgent intervention in the ongoing "constitutional crisis plaguing Delhi".

It also raised concerns over the functioning of the AAP government, according to a statement issued by Gupta.

The AAP government has "lost all moral rights to govern and has blatantly deceived the mandate" given to it by the people of Delhi, said the memorandum.

Gupta said the main issue of "paralysis of governance" was Kejriwal being in jail for more than four months on serious corruption charges.

"Kejriwal has refused to resign, creating an unprecedented situation that has led to a complete breakdown of governance in Delhi. Critical administrative decisions are being delayed, and essential services are severely affected, directly impacting the lives of Delhi's citizens," he said.

Alleges Constitutional violations

The memorandum handed over to the President also alleged "significant constitutional violations" by the AAP government.

"Most notably, the failure to constitute the Sixth Delhi Finance Commission, which has been due since April 2021 represents a grave violation of Articles 243-I and 243-Y of the Constitution. It has severely impeded proper financial planning and resource allocation for the city, particularly affecting the Municipal Corporation of Delhi," it said.

The crisis also involved the AAP government's "repeated failure" to table the important reports, including those of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the Delhi Assembly.

This "suppression" of vital information "obstructs" transparency, raising serious questions about financial propriety, it said.

The memorandum also listed alleged corruption in the government and obstruction of various welfare schemes of the Centre in Delhi.

"In light of these grave constitutional violations and governance failures, we, the members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly respectfully urge your excellency to take cognisance of the matter and dismiss the government in Delhi," it said.

In addition to Gupta, the BJP delegation comprised Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Bajpai, Jitender Mahajan, Kartar Singh, and former minister Raj Kumar Anand, who recently joined the BJP after quitting the AAP.

AAP slams BJP

Slamming the BJP, the AAP said wherever the saffron party can't win elections, it attempts to run a "parallel government" with the sole objective of disrupting the work of the elected state government.

"The BJP approaching the President of India to dismiss the Arvind Kejriwal government shows they have accepted defeat even before the Delhi assembly elections," the AAP said. 

"The BJP knows it can't win the elections in Delhi and their notorious 'Operation Lotus', a brazen attempt to buy legislators, has failed miserably. Their attempt to steal votes and win elections has failed against the AAP," it said.

Desperate to seize power in Delhi, the BJP "incarcerated" all the top AAP leaders, including Kejriwal. It has left no stone unturned to defame the AAP leaders who are working honestly while its so-called liquor scam conspiracy has fallen flat in the court, it said.

"The BJP's desperate attempts to crush the AAP are crumbling and in their frustration, they're coming up with new backdoor tactics to seize power in Delhi," the AAP alleged.

The AAP said the BJP is in a hurry to impose President's rule because it cannot win the upcoming elections in the city. It appealed to Murmu to "dismiss" Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for indulging in "negative politics" despite holding a constitutional office.

Delhi Assembly polls are due early next year. 

(With Agency inputs)