delhi

Updated: Feb 14, 2019 18:02 IST

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that the Supreme Court order in favour of the Centre in the AAP versus the Centre case is an injustice for all of Delhi.

Addressing a press conference after the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on division of powers, Kejriwal asked how the Delhi government was supposed to function without any powers.

“If a government can’t even transfer its officers, how is it supposed to function? The party that has 67 seats doesn’t have the rights but the party that won 3 seats has those rights,” he said. (Live Updates)

Saying that it went against the tenets of democracy and is against the Constitution, he said the Delhi government will seek legal remedies and will speak to its lawyers on whether to appeal against the judgment or not.

“What sort of democracy is this? Why is Delhi government not powerful? How can the opposition run the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB)? How can the government function without power?,” he said.

He alleged that the Centre was creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the Delhi government.

Also read: Transfers, postings, advertisements: Times when Kejriwal clashed with the Centre

“Why does the chief minister and the duly elected government of Delhi have to sit on a 10-day dharna outside the LG’s home to get files cleared?” he said.

Saying that the AAP had formed the government in Delhi after winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats, he urged the people of Delhi to vote for the AAP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and make it victorious.

“That is only way we will be able to ensure full statehood for Delhi and change the rules,” he said.

Earlier in the day, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court had given its verdict on the Aam Aadmi Party versus the Centre case gave control over the ACB to the Centre. Apart from the ACB, the Supreme Court also gave the power to institute commissions of enquiry to the Centre.

At the same time, the Court brought under the Delhi government the electricity and revenue departments (fixing of circle rates), posting and transfer of Grade 3 and Grade 4 officers, appointing special public prosecutor and appointment of directors in discoms.

Addressing a press conference minutes after the Delhi chief minister, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, said, “Arvind Kejriwal did not address a press conference, he in fact dealt a contempt of Supreme Court of India”.

He said that the BJP was planning to move a contempt application against Kejriwal.

“The kind of language an elected chief minister has used for the Supreme Court is shameful,” Patra said.

He said that Kejriwal was attacking democracy and the Constitution by his statement that the court’s order was unconstitutional.

“By saying that the people of Delhi had the key, are you threatening the Supreme Court? You are instigating the people, your cadre to go and attack the Supreme Court justices and the Supreme Court just because the law was upheld, just because the Constitution of this country was upheld, and the Supreme Court gave its order in consonance with the Constitution of the country, you are instigating your people,” he said.

Questioning Kejriwal’s statement that the AAP had run its government wonderfully in Delhi, Patra asked how it had done so when it was going on claiming that the Centre wasn’t letting it work.

“On one side you say you ran a wonderful government and did a lot of things, but on the other hand you say that you are not being allowed to do anything. These contradictory statements of Kejriwal are nothing but contradictory in nature,” Patra said.

“Kejriwal has declared war against the Supreme Court of India. We will file a contempt petition against Kejriwal,” patra said.

Patra also hit out at the various opposition leaders who had held a ‘Save Democracy’ rally in Delhi on Wednesday.

“Where are all the leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar who claimed that democracy has to be saved. Now that Kejriwal is attacking the Supreme Court, where are they?,” he said.

Patra even coined a new name for Arvind Kejriwal as well as the AAP.

“Mr Kejriwal should be known as ‘Anarchist Kejriwal’ and the AAP should be known as ‘Allegation, Agitation and Propaganda party’ because that is what they keep doing. They allege, agitate and try to promote their own propaganda,” Patra said.