BJP endorsing idea of L-G ruling Capital, alleges AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government for introducing a Bill in the Lok Sabha that proposes to give overarching powers to the lieutenant governor (L-G) over administrative affairs of the Capital, and alleged that the Delhi unit of the BJP has been going door-to-door endorsing the idea of the L-G ruling Delhi instead of an elected government.

“The BJP has been sending volunteers door-to-door across localities telling people that it will be better for the L-G to rule Delhi and not an elected government. The BJP has lost assembly elections in Delhi. At the municipal level they are failing too. That is the only reason why they endorse the idea of the central government taking away the rights of an elected government in Delhi. I challenge Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta for a debate on this issue,” said the AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had called the Bill “unconstitutional” and “anti-democracy”.

Delhi-BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “We have never endorsed the idea of L-G ruling Delhi. We have been going door-to-door highlighting the failures of the AAP government in Delhi. They have misled people on the governance front and used communal tactics to win polls. Instead of challenging our unit president, Mr Bhardwaj should prepare for a debate on how the AAP has performed on the governance front.”