High Court refuses relief to AAP in office-of-profit case, Congress and BJP want Kejriwal to resign
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, called the Election Commission’s recommendations ‘most unfortunate’.
The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to grant interim relief to the Aam Aadmi Party, which approached it soon after the Election Commission recommended disqualifying 20 of the party’s MLAs in the Delhi Assembly for holding offices of profit while being legislators. The court will hear the matter again on Monday.
While the poll panel has refused to comment on its recommendations, AAP leaders reacted angrily soon after the reports emerged on Friday. Party leaders said the Election Commission had never “touched this low”.
Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Jyoti had made the recommendations without asking the party for an explanation, The Indian Express reported. “No evidence, no argument of AAP was neither asked nor taken into consideration before the recommendations were sent to the president,” Bharadwaj said.
Another AAP leader, Ashutosh, took to Twitter to vent his anger. “The Election Commission should not be the letter box of the PMO,” he tweeted. “But that is the reality today.”
Person like me who has covered EC as reporter during Seshan days, today I can say EC has never touched so low ever. Sad.
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) January 19, 2018
EC SHOULD NOT BE THE LETTER BOX OF THE PMO.. but that is a reality today.
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) January 19, 2018
Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress said they welcomed the Election Commission’s recommendation.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said Kejriwal had “no right to continue”. “Half of his Cabinet ministers removed on corruption charges! 20 MLAs who were enjoying ministerial perks would be disqualified!” Maken said on Twitter.
Kejriwal has no right to continue.
— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) January 19, 2018
Half of his cabinet ministers removed on corruption charges!
20 MLAs who were enjoying ministerial perks would be disqualified!
Where is Lokpal?
The MLAs and Ministers enjoying perks of power and foreign travel-Where is political probity?
“Not following the Constitution and its spirit is the characteristic of AAP (sic),” BJP’s Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari said according to The Indian Express. The recommendation has shown a mirror to [the] AAP.”
Tiwari said the BJP was prepared for elections at “any moment”, and added that Kejriwal should “take responsibility for the moral defeat and resign”, PTI reported.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, extended her in support to her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. Banerjee said on Twitter it was “most unfortunate” the 20 suspended MLAs were “not even given a hearing by the honourable EC”.
A Constitutional body cannot be used for political vendetta. The 20 AAP MLAs were not even given a hearing by the Hon EC. Most unfortunate. This goes against the principles of natural justice.At this hour we are strongly with @arvindkejriwal and his team
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 19, 2018