HC verdict gives edge to opposition to take on Kejriwal government

NEW DELHI: The Congress and BJP on Thursday demanded the resignation of all 21 AAP MLAs, who were parliamentary secretaries, after the high court ruled that their

NEW DELHI: The Congress and BJP on Thursday demanded the resignation of all 21 AAP MLAs, who were parliamentary secretaries, after the high court ruled that their appointment was illegal.

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The Delhi High Court ruled set aside the appointments, saying they did not have lieutenant governor’s approval.

The BJP described the appointment of 21 parliamentary secretaries as a “criminal conspiracy ”. The party said the court’s ruling was a “confirmation of its (BJP) charges of anarchy in Kejriwal government”.

Leader of the opposition Vijender Gupta said, “We will not allow the assembly to function till the 21 MLAs resign from the assembly.”

“We will meet the Election Commissioner and give a copy of the high court order. We will request the commission to soon take a decision on the disqualification of 21 parliamentary secretaries soon ,” Gupta said.

New Delhi MP, Meenakshi Lekhi, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Office of Profit, said that it has been made clear in the Constitution that MPs and MLAs cannot hold an office of profit.

“From time to time Parliament and the courts have also defined office of profit and given categorical verdicts. This is not the first occasion in Delhi. Even during the Sheila Dikshit’s tenure such controversy has arisen but then the government did not cross all the constitutional limits,” she said.

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken wrote to the Speaker, Ramniwas Goel, requesting him to debar the 21 legislators from attending the Assembly.

Recalling a December 2005 incident when 11 MPs (10 from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha) were disqualified for demanding money for asking questions in the House, Maken said: “There are serious charges against the three former AAP Ministers---Jitender Singh Tomar, Asim Ahmed Khan and Sandeep Kumar---and therefore, a resolution should be introduced to terminate their membership from the assembly in the special session.” The Delhi Assembly will meet for a one-day special session on Friday.

“Similarly, the 21 parliamentary secretaries should not be allowed to attend the special session and all the future sessions of the Assembly,” Maken said.

“The EC verdict in the case of office of profit is awaited,” he said.