The ruling party has also asked the LG to deliver on the issues like increased compensation to farmers on agricultural land, ensuring compensation to power consumers on unscheduled outages and other public-friendly initiatives of the government. “Since the situation has changed after Thursday’s judgment, we expect that all the work that the Delhi government was doing for public good and our battle against corruption will now be carried forward by the LG with the same commitment and honesty with which the Delhi government was performing,” said Ashutosh, National Spokesperson of AAP.
“Now, it’s the responsibility of the LG to take action in DDCA and CNG fitness scams,” he added. He also issued a list of crucial issues and asked the LG take them up on priority basis. This priority list includes — FIR against Mukesh Ambani in CNG gas price hike case, CNG fitness scam, action against discoms, Bills passed by Delhi Assembly but held up by Union Home Ministry, DDCA scam, and compensation to farmers. “Till ACB was with the AAP government, over 200 were booked in around two months. Why is it defunct now,” asked Ashutosh. He further added that his party respects the judgment of the Delhi high court.
“We respect the judgment of the Delhi high court but fundamentally disagree with it and are hopeful that the Supreme Court will rule in our favour. As a party that respects the Constitution and the judiciary, we will obey the decision of the High Court,” said Ashutosh.
It is pertinent to mention that the AAP government had accused the LG of playing a dubious role in ordering closure of the CNG fitness scam and had ordered the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) to investigate the role of the LG as well. It was only after the then ACB Chief S S Yadav was reportedly planning to question LG, the Central government took over the ACB from the Delhi government and put it under the administrative control of the LG through an gazette notification on May 21, 2015.
AAP to move SC against HC order next week
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government will move the Supreme Court in a week’s time to challenge the Delhi High Court verdict holding that Delhi was a Union Territory and the LG had the last word in its administration. As senior counsel Indira Jaising raised the issue in the Apex Court, a bench of Justice A K Sikri and Justice N V Ramana said it will hear Delhi government’s suit contending that Delhi was a state and the advice of the council of ministers was binding on the Lieutenant Governor, along with its petition challenging the Delhi High Court verdict. At the outset of the hearing of the suit, the Bench told Jaising that the better course would be to challenge the Delhi High Court judgment and asked how many of the issues raised in the suit are covered by its judgment.