Shocking that you supported Kejriwal: Goel, tells Naidu, other CMs

Union Minister Vijay Goel on Monday described as "shocking" the support by four Chief Ministers to their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that he has "no faith" in the Constitution.

"It is shocking that you (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandra Babu Naidu) along with three other Chief Ministers (West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka's H.D. Kumaraswamy) have come out in support of the Kejriwal government and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to resolve the deadlock with the bureaucracy in the capital," Goel said in his letter to Naidu.

His remarks came two days after the four Chief ministers met Kejriwal's family in Delhi to show their solidarity with him. The four had also urged the Prime Minister to intervene to resolve the Delhi government's deadlock with the bureaucrats.

Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai began their unprecedented strike at Raj Niwas on June 11 demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike and urging the Centre to approve the Delhi government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Sisodia and Jain, who also began a hunger strike, have been subsequently hospitalised.

Attacking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Goel said, "I would like to inform that Kejriwal has no faith in the Constitution and not on once but on multiple occasions his behaviour in public life is in tune with that of an anarchist.

"He does not believe in the values enshrined in our Constitution and despite holding a Constitutional post has no regard to the dignity and honour of these posts."

Describing three years of the AAP government as a "black spot" in the history of the country's robust democratic system, he urged the four Chief Ministers to desist from supporting Kejriwal in the larger interest of protecting the constitutional values.

--IANS

aks/vd