NEW DELHI: Congress candidate from New Delhi assembly constituency Sandeep Dikshit on Sunday launched a sharp attack on sitting MLA from the area Arvind Kejriwal and claimed that the latter could not assume the role of CM in view of the bail conditions set out by the Supreme Court for his release from jail in the excise policy case.
“When people go out to vote, they must know they are voting to elect an MLA and not the future CM of Delhi who will have the power to approve decisions,” Dikshit said.
“I want to tell people that given the conditions on which Kejriwal has been given bail, he cannot sign files or go to the office. So, when he came out he had to appoint someone as CM and therefore Atishi was given the position. If at all Kejriwal wins, which is not going to happen, he will only be an MLA,” Dikshit told TOI.
“In my campaign I will also question Kejriwal’s performance as CM and MLA,” he said and alleged that Kejriwal had failed to deliver on his promises.
There was no immediate response from AAP over the comments.
Asked whether the legacy of his mother, three-time CM Sheila Dikshit who was MLA from New Delhi, will be the centerpiece of his campaign, he said, “Undoubtedly, what my mother did as CM of Delhi will be highlighted and that is also the Congress party’s journey and we will be reminding the people about all the work that was done during her tenure.”
In Sept, the SC granted bail to Kejriwal in a Central Bureau of Investigation case linked to the alleged excise policy ‘scam’ while making it clear that he will not visit the CM’s office and the Delhi secretariat and he will not sign files unless necessary for obtaining clearance/approval of the LG. However, he resigned and Atishi was chosen CM.
In another recent case, the SC granted prospective bail to former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering matter and said while Chatterjee could continue as an MLA, he would not be appointed to any public office during pendency of the trial.
The restraint on holding public office is significant as it marks the crystallisation of the judicial reasoning first witnessed in SC’s dismay over re-appointment of Senthil Balaji as minister in Tamil Nadu soon after the apex court released him on bail in a money laundering case.
