The AAP is back at the Ramlila Maidan after nine years as it takes its fight against the Centre’s ordinance to Delhi’s streets.
News18 catches up with Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi’s minister for services, over which the newest battle is being fought. The AAP leader said the constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had declared that these powers always existed and belonged to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. But the central government had stooped as low as to overturn the SC judgement and bring in the ordinance, which was a “shameful” act.
Without commenting on whether the AAP was ready to form an alliance with opposition parties, Bharadwaj also said they had approached others as this was not a poll contest but a “fight to protect the Constitution of India and save democracy”.
This slogan – ‘Take the ordinance back, enforce Supreme Court order’ – is to put pressure on the central government. What was the need for this?
The central government has been complaining over the past nine-and-a-half years that what the Arvind Kejriwal-led government is saying is wrong and what the Centre is saying is right. After a long battle in the top court of the country, the constitutional bench of the SC headed by none other than CJI (Chief Justice of India) DY Chandrachud, has unanimously declared that these powers belong and always belonged to Arvind Kejriwal. They did not say we are giving you these powers; these powers always existed. When the SC went on vacation, the Centre stooped so low that it brought this ordinance in and wrote that this is to overturn the judgement of the constitution bench of India. This is shameful; people will laugh at us, at our democracy that we as a country have stooped so low… that the prime minister is not ready to give away legitimate powers of a chief minister back to him.
That is why people have gathered here in Delhi to indicate that they are unhappy. People of Delhi are unhappy with the arrogance of the central government; they are unhappy at the manner in which they have been treated. And I am saying it with all responsibility – today they have taken away the basic powers of a state government that is Delhi. Tomorrow, through an ordinance, they will take away the police powers of Bengal, may take away the powers of Karnataka and then the opposition parties will have nothing.
Arvind Kejriwal has reached out to opposition parties; in fact, the very leaders he had targeted earlier – Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Nitish Kumar. How is it that he is turning to those very people for support today?
All political parties contest elections against each other. We will point out irregularities, allegations, illegalities. This is natural. Today, we are here not to contest an election. We are here to protect the Constitution, to protect the country. The day is not far when through a single ordinance the central government will take away all the democratic principles of this country. There may come a time when there is no election. We have to be united. Otherwise, India will be under a dictatorship.
You are being targeted by your opponents for sharing the stage with Kapil Sibal today – again someone you had alleged was very corrupt.
Kapil Sibal is a celebrated jurist. He has been known for his constitutional clarity. We cannot find a better luminary or a jurist than him to explain the nitty gritty of the Constitution – how this ordinance is illegal, how it’s against the basic democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution. We welcome him here. He is ready despite being in the opposition and in another political party; he is here to talk about the Constitution.
The BJP has targeted you with posters demanding accountability for the money splurged in building the chief minister’s official residence, that you have to be answerable for the Rs 45 crore allegedly spent on renovating it. They are targeting the CM on his core calling card of honesty…
The government has spent some money… Rs 4 crore, Rs 5 crores… I don’t know how much. It is the government that has spent money on government property. How is it tied to Arvind Kejriwal? He cannot take it away. Money has been spent to create Raj Bhavan. Money has been spent to construct the lavish bungalow of the prime minister. I have heard that it costs more than Rs 400 crore. If spending Rs 45 crore is corruption, spending Rs 400 crore is mega corruption. How is it corruption? I don’t understand.
The AAP believed in walking alone but now, more and more it is allying with opposition parties. Are you willing to contest elections in alliance with opposition parties?
These are larger questions that have to be answered by our leaders. What I understand is that the situation is such that all opposition parties should be together to save the Constitution, to save democracy.
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