New Delhi: In a move that apparently took both the Congress and the BJP by surprise, the AAP yesterday sought 10 days’ time from Delhi
Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to decide on government formation and asked the two parties to clear their stand on 18 issues relating to the national capital, including possible cases of corruption against their leaders.
Jung submitted a “factual” report to President Pranab Mukherjee following his meeting with both Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.
“He (Jung) has sent a report to the president on the present political situation,” said a
Lt Governor house official.
AAP founder-leader Arvind Kejriwal met Jung after the Bharatiya Janata Party, which netted 31 seats in the 70-member assembly, Thursday conveyed that it was not in a position to form the government.
Along with its ally, Akali Dal, which has one seat, the BJP still falls four seats short of a simple majority.
Kejriwal’s remarks evoked sharp reactions from the BJP and the Congress. Both parties said the debutant party was shirking its responsibility to form the government.
AAP got 28 seats and finished second, leaving Delhi with a hung house.
The Congress, which was a poor third with eight seats, submitted a letter on Friday to the Lt Governor stating that it was ready to provide unconditional support to the AAP.
The AAP said it will know the real intentions of Congress’ “unconditional support” and BJP’s “willingness to offer issue-based support” only after the two respond to the letter the AAP dispatched to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and BJP president Rajnath Singh yesterday.
Responding to the AAP’s move, Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed told IANS: “Sonia Gandhi has marked Arvind Kejriwal’s letter to me and we will frame a reply and respond to it in a day or two.”
Congress spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said the AAP should come forward to fulfil the expectations of the people of Delhi and should not try to escape from responsibility. “We are not going to give any conditional support. We are not going to enter into an agreement or anything,” he said.
Two senior Delhi Congress leaders, Arvinder Singh Lovely and Haroon Yusuf, also accused the AAP of shirking its responsibility in forming the government.
“The 18-point programme can be implemented through administrative process. The AAP is misleading the people of Delhi,” Lovely said.
BJP leader Balbir Punj said: “What is this height of arrogance? Instead of thinking of how to form the government, the leaders from the party (AAP) are busy making baseless allegations against other parties.”
He said the AAP “wants to dictate their terms to other political parties”. Analysts said the conditions set by the AAP for the Congress and the BJP was an attempt to fend off criticism that it was unwilling to form the government.
Kejriwal, accompanied by party members Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas, met Jung yesterday morning. He later told mediapersons that the Congress as well as the BJP should make their stand clear on the issues raised by his party. IANS
