Delhi under constitutional crisis, Kejriwal should quit if he has scant regard for people: BJP

The Delhi BJP Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case, alleging the city is facing a constitutional crisis. Addressing a press conference here, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva and party MP Manoj Tiwari said the AAP could have made anyone from the party chief minister after Kejriwal was taken into custody.

"Delhi is under a huge constitutional crisis. If you have even scant regard for the people of Delhi who elected you, you could have made anyone (from AAP) chief minister," Tiwari said.

Taking a dig at the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, Sachdeva said there is an internal tussle going on in the AAP for the chief minister's chair.


He questioned the constitutional validity of running a government from the custody of a probe agency.

"Show us one example in the entire world of somebody running the government from jail. If you have any ethics left in you, resign," Sachdeva said, asking why did the party get Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain to resin if functioning from jail is legal.

On Wednesday, Delhi cabinet minister Atishi said if President's Rule is imposed in the national capital in the aftermath of Kejriwal's arrest, it would be a clear case of "political vendetta".

She was responding to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's statement that the Delhi government will not be run from jail.

"What is the constitutional provision he is drawing on? The law of the country is very clear. You have the GNCTD Act which is very clear that you cannot be the chief minister if you do not enjoy the majority of the House. These conditions do not apply. So, under what conditions will President's Rule be imposed?" she said.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and was subsequently remanded in the agency's custody till March 28 by a court.