Will oppose President’s Rule in Delhi: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said it does not want the elected government of the national capital to be removed and it will oppose any move for President’s Rule.

It also rejected any alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital.

Delhi Congress President Ajay Maken said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers’ “dharna tamasha” at the Lt Governor’s office, and BJP leaders’ counter-protest at the Chief Minister’s Office, were just to divert attention from their failures.

Addressing a press conference here, he, in response to a question, stressed that the Congress will oppose any move for President’s Rule in Delhi after removing the elected government.

He also urged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to call off their protests and start working for the development of the city and people.

Terming the protest of the AAP a scripted drama, he said the “script of this drama was written on February 20, when the Chief Secretary was attacked after being called for a midnight meeting”.

“They knew the repercussions of this act. And now their protest is in the final stage,” he alleged.

Noting the Congress under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit worked under the same set-up and won three elections by working for development and the people, he said: “We were in government for 15 years under the same constitutional framework but we did not give such excuses like the AAP government.”

Maken’s remarks came as the sit-in protest at Lt. Governor Anil Baijal’s office by Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues entered the fifth day on Friday. BJP leaders are also sitting on protest at the Delhi Secretariat.

He also rejected the reports of any alliance with the AAP in Delhi, saying: “As the DPCC (Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee) chief, I have already made it clear that there is no question of any alliance with AAP.”

“Congress got 22 per cent vote in local body elections, just four per cent less than AAP last year. And in the Bawana assembly bypolls, our number of votes increased from 14,000 odd votes in 2015 assembly elections to 31,919 votes.

“They (AAP) are getting unpopular in Delhi at very rapidly. People are rejecting them because of their non-performance. So, when people are rejecting them continuously, why should Congress come to their rescue now?” he asked.

Terming the AAP leaders “opportunists”, he alleged that they “with the support of the RSS and people like Baba Ramdev, Kiran Bedi and through the Anna movement, helped Narendra Modi become Prime Minister”.

IANS