Delhi under President's rule? AAP's Atishi alleges BJP is plotting a conspiracy against Kejriwal's government

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi minister Atishi on Friday claimed that the Central government is plotting a conspiracy against the elected government under Arvind Kejriwal by planning to impose President's rule in the national capital.

"The officers of Delhi government have stopped attending the meetings. All these things show that there is a conspiracy to topple the government of Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and to implement the president's rule," Atishi said in a presser.

"No senior IAS officer is being posted in Delhi, bureaucrats have stopped attending government meetings citing Moral Code of Conduct," Atishi added.



"Let me warn the BJP that imposing President's rule in Delhi will be illegal, unconstitutional and against the mandate of the people of Delhi. The people of Delhi have given a clear mandate to Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party," Atishi said.

Read: What is President Rule? Here's all you need to know

Kejriwal was remanded to judicial custody amid the ongoing probe into money laundering allegations in the Delhi Excise Policy case. The AAP's national convenor has been accused of being the 'kingpin' of the scam by the central investigative agency.

Kejriwal is in judicial custody till April 15 in connection with the case. The AAP has termed the investigations a conspiracy by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-ruled Centre to ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Opposition has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is using the investigative agencies to cripple them.

Few petitions were filed in the Delhi High Court seeking removal of Kejriwal as the Chief Minister, however, they were rebuked by the court.

The Delhi HC bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, reprimanded Sandeep Kumar, a former AAP MLA, who filed the petition, for attempting to involve the court in political matters. The panel imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.

"This is not like a James Bond movie where we will have sequels. (Lt) Governor will take a call on this. You are trying to involve us in a political thicket, that's all," remarked the court during the hearing.

The bench said that it cannot impose the governor's rule in the capital. The Delhi HC said it lacks the authority to declare a “breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the national capital.”

According to the Indian Constitution, the imposition of President's Rule is permitted in such situations.