New Delhi: Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley yesterday termed as “farcical” the referendum by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on government formation in Delhi and accused the party of “political opportunism”.
Jaitley said the AAP was somersaulting on its stated position of not accepting support and trying to mask its political opportunism.
In a post on Facebook, Jaitley said the AAP had stated it represents “alternative politics”, but the party seems to be compromising on its commitments.
The AAP emerged as the No.2 party with 28 seats behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (31) in the Delhi assembly polls, which produced a hung verdict. The Congress with eight seats in the 70-member house has offered unconditional support to the AAP. “It (AAP) is guided by idealism. It will neither support or accept support from either the Congress or the BJP,” Jaitley said.
He said if the AAP stands by its commitment, the Delhi assembly “becomes a dead-locked assembly” wherein a fresh poll has to be ordered.
“How does the AAP justify a volte face where it seems to be compromising on its commitments of alternative politics,” he asked. “It may even be strategising on how to capture power, announce a few popular decisions and carve out a further positioning for itself.
“For any of these strategies to prevail, the AAP has to somersault from its stated position. It has to retract its public commitments of not accepting support from the Congress. It has, therefore, decided to enact a farcical referendum,” Jaitley said.
IANS
