AAP, BJP cross swords over civic polls’ announcement delay
The Hindu
AAP says BJP trying to escape repercussions of an electoral loss, latter asks Delhi govt. to reveal real intention
Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest outside the BJP national headquarters here on Monday, saying the party had “forced the State Election Commission” to defer the municipal elections in the Capital.
Terming it a move “motivated by fear” and an “attempt to escape the repercussions of an electoral loss in the civic polls”, the AAP leaders said the BJP had put the proverbial gun to the head of State Election Commissioner S.K. Srivastava. BJP sources, on the other hand, said AAP was “hiding its real intentions” when it came to polls to the Capital’s municipalities.
BJP sources said the Centre, which was preparing to present a Bill in the Lok Sabha regarding the unification of the three municipal corporations, was in the process of easing the existing financial deficits of the corporations, amounting to an estimated ₹16,000 crore.
“Today, the BJP stands petrified of [Delhi Chief Minister] Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP, which scared the whole country, is now afraid of the Aam Aadmi Party. As a result of this, for the first time in the history of India, the Election Commission did not announce the date of the municipal elections,” AAP Delhi in-charge Gopal Rai said.
Mr. Rai added that the BJP, had silenced the Election Commission by putting the “gun of its power” to its head.
“Today, the BJP stands petrified of Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP, which scared the whole country, is now afraid of the Aam Aadmi Party. As a result of this, for the first time in the history of India, the EC did not announce the date of the municipal corporation elections”Gopal RaiAAP Delhi in-charge
Dismissing the AAP’s allegations, sources in the BJP said despite AAP’s “grandstanding” over the postponement of the civic elections, the Delhi government’s “real motive” revolved not around the “spirit of democracy” but the “unhindered and illegal sale of spirits” in the city after the implementation of its new excise policy.
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