The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called the Delhi State Election Commission order to remove the “Aam Aadmi” from the AAP Government schemes including Mohalla clinics and bus service “hasty” and “arbitrary” while expressing “shock.” In a detailed letter on response to the order on Wednesday, the AAP has underlined that the commission has “succumbed” to the political pressure of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Delhi AAP Convenor, Dilip Pandey said: “We are shocked to know that the State Election Commission has directed the Chief Secretary of NCT Delhi to remove “Aam Aadmi” from all Government billboards, Government schemes, Mohalla Clinics and Public Transport buses.”
“In a hasty to please a political party, the Commission did not even care to follow the due procedure and issue notices to the State Government and the Aam Aadmi Party and allow them a hearing…it is an insult to the constitution which nvisages an independent Election Commission with the duty to conduct free and fair elections.”
The objection and complaint was brought to the election commission’s notice in a letter by BJP MlA Vijendra Gupta.
Accusing the election commission of acting like the “subordinate” of the BJP which is ruling at the centre, Pandey in the letter said that the Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic concept is a “new revolution” in the field of healthcare and “the model is being appreciated world over.” “It is quite natural that anti-people forces like the BJP are upset and are leaving no stone unturned to derail the programme. But what shocks us the most is the fact that the a Constitutional body like the Election Commission is acting as subordinate of its political masters and is taking orders from them,” he said.
The AAP leader in a scathing attack at the election commission over this order has marked that instead of the commission’s constitutional duty to ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders, it has “succumb to political pressure”.
“Does this mean that now the Commission will also ask the Chief secretary to cover “Bhartiya” and “Janata” words, wherever they appear on government buildings, installations and billboards, as the two words figure in the name of a political party, the Bhartiya Janata partyIJ Similarly, will the Commission also cover Words “Indian” and “National” from all government buildings, installations and billboards because they also figure in the name of Indian National CongressIJ” Pandey asked while expressed “pain” to “note the officers in the Commission have trampled over the Constitution by following the diktats of political leaders.”
He, however, urged the commission to “correct this mistake.”
“We urge the Commission to immediately correct this mistake. If at all it feels the need, it must allow an opportunity to the State Government and the Aam Aadmi Party before passing any order.”
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari applauded the order of the State Election Commission. He said that the directive of State Election Commission restricting the use of words Aam Aadmi in promotion of Delhi Government schemes vindicates our long standing stand in the matter that all this is unlawful.
“Delhi BJP has repeatedly raised this issue through letters and demonstrations but Arvind Kejriwal Government working in autocratic manner took no note and splashed hundreds of crores on mischievous publicity,” said Tiwari.
“Delhi Government did not even hesitate from misuse after strong observations of Delhi High Court in similar advertisement misuse matter,” he said further.