New Delhi, 12 April 2024
Senior AAP Leader and Cabinet Minister in the Kejriwal government Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj affirms that the BJP is aware of the Delhi populace’s disinterest in their governance, evident from their continuous failure to win elections in the city for the past 25 years, despite high-profile campaigning efforts by top leaders like PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
He asserts that the BJP deliberately halted funds for crucial health and water management schemes, and acknowledges its failure that they cannot defeat Shri Arvind Kejriwal in an electoral contest. Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj accuses the BJP of scheming to enforce President’s Rule in Delhi, suggesting a calculated effort to seize power in the absence of popular support.
“The BJP has not been able to form their government in Delhi in the past 25 years. They know it very well that the people of Delhi do not want the BJP to come to power in Delhi. They (BJP) tried their best in 2013, and in 2015, some of their most prominent leaders came out on streets for campaigning, including the Home Minister and the Prime Minister. The BJP was in a very bad condition in Delhi. Again in 2020, the Home Minister and the Prime Minister did election campaigns in Delhi, along with all the important leaders of the BJP, they went to the smallest colonies of Delhi as a part of their election campaign. However, they lost again in Delhi election by a huge margin,” he said.
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj further stated that in the last few days, the LG has issued two letters to the MHA (Union Ministry of Home Affairs). The LG deliberately released the letters to the media even before it was read by the ministers concerned, solely to garner public’s attention.
“In the first letter to the MHA, the LG wrote that the Delhi Government is repeatedly filing petition and writ in the Supreme Court accusing the LG of stopping the funds for Delhi government’s ‘Farishtey Scheme’ and a few other schemes which were aimed at giving free medical treatment to the poor people. The ‘Farishtey Scheme’ aimed at providing free treatment in hospitals to anyone who meets with an accident in Delhi. The funds were released only when we (AAP) filed a petition in the Supreme Court. Similarly, we went to the high Court and the Supreme Court in the matter of Delhi Jal Board. In our application, we had stated that the favorite officers of the LG, on his orders, have stopped the funds of the Delhi Jal Board for months.”
The LG’s office In its communication to the MHA said that the Delhi Government is leveling false accusations against him as the health department and Delhi Jal Board are transferred subjects and come under the jurisdiction of Delhi’s elected government. He had written in the letter that these subjects come under the government of Delhi and the LG had no control over transferred subjects and no role in its decisions and shared it with the media. Two days later, in another letter to the MHA, the LG said that the ministers were asked to attend the meeting he called on water, sewer, and health departments, but the ministers did not turn up. If he has no control over transferred subjects as maintained by him in the court and in his previous letter to the MHA, then why does he want to have a meeting on the same matters? What does he want? He doesn’t know what he wants to do, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj stated.
Talking about the BJPs’ plans to impose Presidents’ Rule in Delhi, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “The BJP people are saying this repeatedly, media is reporting that the BJP-led Central government is planning to impose President’s Rule in Delhi. This clearly indicates that letters are being repeatedly sent to the MHA, a minister also resigned under threat from the ED, they are claiming the situation to be a constitutional crisis. The BJP and the LG are labeling each situation as ‘constitutional crisis’ so that they can impose President’s Rule in Delhi. The BJP that has not been able to win elections in Delhi, knows that even if the elections happen in Delhi today, people will still choose Shri Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP led central government is conspiring to impose President’s Rule in Delhi.”
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj further stated that the (UPA) government committed the same mistake in 2013. When we (AAP) were running the government between 2013-2014 for some time, the government imposed President’s Rule in Delhi till 2014 end. When we took this matter to the Supreme Court, elections were held in Delhi in February 2015 and the people of Delhi, tired of the imposition of President’ Rule, gave 67 out of 70 seats to the Aam Aadmi Party. If the BJP is planning to do it again, the people of Delhi will punish them again, he concluded.
