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The Delhi Assembly should be kept in suspended animation — and should not be dissolved. This is the recommendation of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung who has suggested the imposition of President’s rule, enabling some other grouping to stake claim to form a government, if possible. The Union Cabinet has accepted the recommendation and referred it to the President.
This is contrary to the suggestion made by the outgoing council of ministers headed by Arvind Kejriwal, which had suggested dissolution of the 70-member Assembly and immediate elections. The Aam Aadmi party (AAP), meanwhile, is now set for a national play. “...It is clear that the Aam Aadmi Party will contest the general elections under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership across the country,” senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav told reporters on Saturday. The AAP will hold a rally in Haryana on February 23, followed by another in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on March 2. The rallies are meant to kick-start the party’s nationwide anti-graft campaign.(ON KEJRIWAL’S RESIGNATION)
The Lieutenant Governor’s move keeps the option open for any political party or a combination of parties to try to form a government in Delhi in future. The final decision on the Lieutenant Governor’s recommendation would be taken by the Centre, sources said.
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Home Ministry officials said they would take the opinion of the Union law ministry and place all the facts before the Cabinet for a final decision.
The Assembly elections late last year had given a split verdict, with no political party getting absolute majority. The AAP government resigned on Friday after it suffered a defeat on the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly and recommended fresh elections by dissolving the House. The Lieutenant Governor has also sent, along with his report, the resignation letter of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The letter would be forwarded to the President for acceptance.
Officials said Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is in Maharashtra, has been briefed about the Lieutenant Governor’s report. If his recommendation is accepted, the Lieutenant Governor will take decisions in Delhi with the help of a group of advisors who will be appointed by the central government.
Reactions to the AAP government’s resignation poured in on Saturday. “The nightmare is finally over. The worst-ever state government that Delhi has ever witnessed has resigned... Thank God, the nightmare is over,” BJP leader Arun Jaitley wrote on his website. The Congress said all it wanted was a secular government in Delhi — but the AAP ran away from that responsibility.
