Kejriwal: Modi govt must apologise over Uttarakhand issue

New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday slammed the central government for acting “unconstitutionally in Uttarakhand” and demanded its apology.

“The Narendra Modi government should apologise to the nation for acting in an unconstitutional and undemocratic manner in Uttarakhand,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted.

“Hope Modi ji will learn a lesson from Uttarakhand and not do similar misadventure in Delhi by disqualifying our 21 MLAs,” he said in another tweet.

It is seen as a reaction after 21 AAP legislators, appointed as parliamentary secretaries by the AAP Government last year, filed their replies to the Election Commission in response to a show-cause notice on why they should not be disqualified for occupying offices of profit in violation of the Constitution.

The notice was issued on the basis of a petition filed by Delhi-based advocate Prashant Patel. The high court asked the Delhi Government to reply to its notice by July 1, when the court hears the case next. But it has not stayed the appointments.

The petition argues that the chief minister has “no power, jurisdiction or authority” to administer oath of office to the Parliamentary Secretaries.
On Tuesday, after the Congress won the floor test in the Uttarakhand assembly, Kejriwal called it “a huge setback to the Modi government. Hope they will stop toppling governments now”.