Senior AAP leader Ashutosh
's Aam Aadmi Party is engulfed this week with controversies about its plans for the anti-graft Jan Lokpal Bill, a criminal case it has launched against Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani, and its plans to hold a session of the Delhi Assembly in a stadium with the public in attendance. Senior AAP leader Ashutosh spoke to NDTV.com about the party's stand on these issues.
NDTV.com: You are scheduled to introduce the Jan Lokpal bill in the Delhi Assembly today but the Congress says it has not got copies of the proposal, and rules call for bills to be circulated 48 hours in advance. Have you not circulated the draft?
Ashutosh: If BJP and the Congress say that they have not seen the Lokpal bill that means they have nothing to discuss except to fool themselves.
The Jan Lokpal Bill is the most talked about, discussed and debated proposal in Indian political history. The BJP and Congress are saying they have not got copies of the bill. In my opinion, they are not interested in knowing what are the finer points of the bill. They are more interested in creating an excuse and obstructions.
As per the constitutional requirement, the bill will be given to them for discussion, debate and dissection, but I still repeat that if anybody says the Jan Lokpal Bill has not been debated and discussed, in my opinion they are not being honest.
I don't think any other bill or subject has been debated for so long in Indian history. Prior to 2011, almost for 44 years, Lokpal was debated and discussed but it was the dishonest politics of this country which never let the bill become a law. It was only after 5th July 2011 that this revolutionary idea attained a shape of a mass movement. It was this mass movement which finally forced the political establishment to form a law called Lokpal which in our opinion was just a facade, but if the people had not been on roads for two years, even this Lokpal won't have seen the light of the day.
The BJP and the Congress should spell out before the people of India, particularly the people of Delhi, where do they stand on the question of corruption. Are they serious about fighting corruption or do they just want to create a facade of support? BJP and the Congress at heart don't want a strong Lokpal but they find it impossible to oppose this, so today their double standard is exposed when they say that they support the Jan Lokpal Bill but there are problems with the procedure. In my opinion they know if Jan Lokpal Bill becomes the law, then the party will be in trouble and many of their leaders will find themselves behind bars, so they will try their best to create hurdles and see to it that the Bill doesn't become a law.
NDTV.com: The Law Ministry has said that Delhi's Lieutenant Governor can reject the bill even if it's passed. If that happens, how will you handle the veto?
Ashutosh: The Lieutenant Governor had made his intentions clear before the bill was introduced, when the legal opinion which he sought from the Solicitor General of India was leaked to the press. On behalf of the party, I could only say that this will be an historic moment in the Indian political history and Delhi currently needs a very strong Lokpal to clean the system and make it corruption-free. It would be interesting to watch how a bill passed by the elected members of the people is vetoed by an unelected member of our politics (the LG).
NDTV.com: The Delhi High Court has asked you to explain by tomorrow (Thursday) why the Jan Lokpal session should be held in a stadium. What will you say?
Ashutosh: We have tremendous respect for the courts and Indian judiciary. We will explain our position before the court on why we want the bill to be discussed in a stadium. We hope the court will understand why Jan Lokpal Bill should be discussed debated in full public view.
NDTV.com: On the FIR against Mukesh Ambani, does the Delhi government have the jurisdiction to intervene over gas prices that are decided by the Centre?
Ashutosh: AAP has great respect for the rule of law, and belief in the Indian Constitution and democracy and the Delhi government under Arvind Kejriwal is well within its right to lodge an FIR against Mukesh Ambani. I want to ask a question to the Congress - why was the penalty imposed by then Petroleum Minister Jaipal Reddy not honoured by his successor Veerappa Moily? And I want to ask a question to the BJP and Narendra Modi, their candidate for PM - why did they keep quiet on the issue of the KG basin which in our opinion will accrue a loss of 54,000 crore per year to the government exchequer. Is it because Modi's campaign is financed by Mukesh Ambani and his company? Narendra Modi blames the Congress for corruption and wants to make India Congress-free. How can he overlook a scam of such magnitude?
NDTV.com: Has PM indicated whether the April 1 gas price hike will be suspended till the inquiry is completed?
Ashutosh: As per my knowledge, Delhi Chief Minister has written a letter in this regard to the PM of India and we are waiting for response.