New Delhi:
Ashutosh, senior leader from Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), spoke to NDTV.com's Swati Gupta about the furore he caused with his recent remarks on Delhi's constitutional head, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
NDTV.com: Why did you call Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung a Congress agent?
Ashutosh: We have tremendous respect for Mr Jung, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and we had great expectations from him. Indian politics is in the process of re-inventing itself, and Delhi will prove to be a new beginning for national politics. We thought that he will be an inspiration for the AAP government, but of late, a feeling is setting in that he will not be a co-passenger in this historic journey.
There have been two incidents recently when information has been leaked to the press without him consulting the Delhi government.
The episode of the Jan Lokpal Bill has come as a rude shock -this is what Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also expressed in his letter to Mr Jung. I was shocked to see a letter between two persons occupying constitutional positions, which should be confidential, leaked in no time.
We have no problem with who the Lt Governor consults and on what but it pains us if the same advice is known to the press before the Delhi government. In my opinion, this advice which Mr Jung sought from the Solicitor General, Mohan Parasaran was leaked to the press deliberately to embarrass the AAP government.
I have reason to believe that this was done at the behest of the top leadership of the Congress party. So I have every reason to say that he was behaving like an agent of the Congress party.
An earlier similar leak took place over the Delhi government's recommendation to remove Barkha Singh as chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women.
There have been 'n' no of other incidents where I have reasons to believe that he did not exercise his duties as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, but I don't want to elaborate on them just now.
NDTV.com: Is AAP still going to introduce the bill as scheduled on February 16?
Ashutosh: We will be introducing the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly as scheduled on February 16.
NDTV.com: Will AAP seek clearance from the Home Ministry now?
Ashutosh: We are very clear that the Home Ministry directive issued in 2002 which requires the Delhi government to get the centre's permission to table this sort of bill is illegal and unconstitutional and the time has come that people should know why such an illegal directive continued for so long and for what reason.
This is contrary to the demands of granting full statehood to Delhi that were made by the Congress. They have been demanding this for a very long time. And if their demands are truthful and honest, why did they let such an illegal directive continue till now?
NDTV.com: Why have two of the legal experts cited by your party said they did not offer an opinion different from Mr Parasaran?
Ashutosh: I am sorry to say that this is a deliberate mischief done by a section of media to malign the image of AAP and its government. Arvind Kejriwal's letter to Mr Jung clearly states that we consulted experts not to seek their advice on the legality of the Jan Lokpal Bill but the legality of the Home Ministry directive.
Anyone who doubts this can re- read Mr Kejriwal's letter to the Lieutenant Governor. I want to clarify that these two eminent gentlemen were not consulted for the bill but for the home ministry directive to the state government for seeking prior permission before initiating a legislative act in the assembly.
NDTV.com: Why is AAP taking support from a party that appears to disagree with your every move?
Ashutosh: This is the biggest joke which has been cracked in these times. AAP has never sought any support from the Congress. We never had interaction of any kind in this regard. We have clarified so many times that for us our government exists - 27 MLAs for the 18 issues which we have raised in our letter to Sonia Gandhi and Rajnath Singh. I hope with my statement, this controversy will end. We are not here to form a government or to retain power but to change the system and to create a new stream of politics.
NDTV.com: Why did you call Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung a Congress agent?
Ashutosh: We have tremendous respect for Mr Jung, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and we had great expectations from him. Indian politics is in the process of re-inventing itself, and Delhi will prove to be a new beginning for national politics. We thought that he will be an inspiration for the AAP government, but of late, a feeling is setting in that he will not be a co-passenger in this historic journey.
There have been two incidents recently when information has been leaked to the press without him consulting the Delhi government.
The episode of the Jan Lokpal Bill has come as a rude shock -this is what Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also expressed in his letter to Mr Jung. I was shocked to see a letter between two persons occupying constitutional positions, which should be confidential, leaked in no time.
We have no problem with who the Lt Governor consults and on what but it pains us if the same advice is known to the press before the Delhi government. In my opinion, this advice which Mr Jung sought from the Solicitor General, Mohan Parasaran was leaked to the press deliberately to embarrass the AAP government.
I have reason to believe that this was done at the behest of the top leadership of the Congress party. So I have every reason to say that he was behaving like an agent of the Congress party.
An earlier similar leak took place over the Delhi government's recommendation to remove Barkha Singh as chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women.
There have been 'n' no of other incidents where I have reasons to believe that he did not exercise his duties as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, but I don't want to elaborate on them just now.
NDTV.com: Is AAP still going to introduce the bill as scheduled on February 16?
Ashutosh: We will be introducing the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly as scheduled on February 16.
NDTV.com: Will AAP seek clearance from the Home Ministry now?
Ashutosh: We are very clear that the Home Ministry directive issued in 2002 which requires the Delhi government to get the centre's permission to table this sort of bill is illegal and unconstitutional and the time has come that people should know why such an illegal directive continued for so long and for what reason.
This is contrary to the demands of granting full statehood to Delhi that were made by the Congress. They have been demanding this for a very long time. And if their demands are truthful and honest, why did they let such an illegal directive continue till now?
NDTV.com: Why have two of the legal experts cited by your party said they did not offer an opinion different from Mr Parasaran?
Ashutosh: I am sorry to say that this is a deliberate mischief done by a section of media to malign the image of AAP and its government. Arvind Kejriwal's letter to Mr Jung clearly states that we consulted experts not to seek their advice on the legality of the Jan Lokpal Bill but the legality of the Home Ministry directive.
Anyone who doubts this can re- read Mr Kejriwal's letter to the Lieutenant Governor. I want to clarify that these two eminent gentlemen were not consulted for the bill but for the home ministry directive to the state government for seeking prior permission before initiating a legislative act in the assembly.
NDTV.com: Why is AAP taking support from a party that appears to disagree with your every move?
Ashutosh: This is the biggest joke which has been cracked in these times. AAP has never sought any support from the Congress. We never had interaction of any kind in this regard. We have clarified so many times that for us our government exists - 27 MLAs for the 18 issues which we have raised in our letter to Sonia Gandhi and Rajnath Singh. I hope with my statement, this controversy will end. We are not here to form a government or to retain power but to change the system and to create a new stream of politics.
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