Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia wrote an open letter to Delhiites today, terming the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs as "dirty politics" of the BJP and appealing to them to give a befitting reply to the saffron party.
Sharing the letter on Twitter, Sisodia said that the BJP has "imposed" bypolls to the 20 Assembly seats on the people of Delhi, effectively hampering the development works in the city for the next two years.
Sisodia said the disqualification of 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs was "unconstitutional".
President Ram Nath Kovind yesterday accepted the Election Commission's recommendation to disqualify 20 MLAs of Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party for holding offices of profit. These MLAs were appointed parliamentary secretaries to assist ministers with their work by the AAP dispensation.
"They (BJP) have imposed polls on Delhi by disqualifying your 20 MLAs. Now, there will be model code of conduct and all government's works will come to a halt.
"Thereafter, the Lok Sabha polls will come due to which model code of conduct will be in place in Delhi again, halting development works. After this, (Delhi) Assembly polls will be held," Sisodia said in the letter.
He said that by imposing by-elections, the BJP has stopped development works for the next two years.
"It will be wastage of your money on the elections of 20 Assembly seats. Is it not the dirty politics of BJP? Is it right to push Delhi towards polls?
"Is it correct to halt all development works of Delhi for next two years? Is it right to disqualify your elected MLAs unconstitutionally and illegally? I hope that you will give a befitting reply," he said.
He said that in the past three years, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government has taken several pro-people measures, including no hike in electricity tariff and free water supply.
"In next two years, there are a lot of works to be done. CCTV cameras will be installed across Delhi. Free Wi-Fi is to be provided. Laying of sewer and water pipelines has been started...but all these works will come to a halt for two years," he said.
However, the deputy chief minister maintained that there was no conflict as the 20 AAP legislators did not receive any perks for holding the post of parliamentary secretary.
He alleged that the BJP's graph has been "rapidly falling", adding that all sections of the society are angry at the BJP, be it Dalits, farmers, traders, labourers, the youth, students and minorities".
Earlier in the day, the 20 AAP MLAs withdrew their petitions in the Delhi High Court challenging the Election Commission's (EC) recommendation which has received Presidential assent, saying they would move fresh pleas in the matter.
The legislators told the high court that they would move fresh petitions against their disqualification from the Delhi Assembly, as their earlier pleas became infructuous after the President put a stamp of approval on the EC's recommendation.
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