Kejriwal wears his heart on his sleeve

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government upped the ante against the Delhi Police and lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung during the special one-day Assembly Session on women security called on Monday. Daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fix the law and order situation in Delhi within six months, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said even if Delhi Police doesn’t come under the State Government, it can still take action against it if it violates IPC and CrPC. 

“If we say we want to end corruption, they say it’s against the Constitution. If we want to end crime, they say that we don’t have the power to do so and that it’s against the Constitution. If we say we want to provide security to women, they say that we don’t have the power even to do that under the Constitution. I ask the Prime Minister that if the Centre has the power, then why it doesn’t do something,” asked Kejriwal.

Also, the CM challenged the l-G’s view that since Delhi Police doesn’t come under the Delhi Government, it cannot form a Commission of Enquiry to probe unheeded complaints of sexual harassment and other crimes against women, nor can it take action against the Delhi Police. He said, “Even if Delhi Police doesn’t come under us, but according to the Constitution, CrPC and IPC fall under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Government, just like water and electricity do. And just like we can take action against any police official who doesn’t pay his electricity or water bill, we can also take action against such official who violated CrPC or IPC under the existing rules of the Constitution.”

The CM said, “I want to ask PM Modi that he must correct the law and order situation in Delhi within six months. And if he fails to do that, give Delhi Police to us for six months and we will make Delhi the safest place in the world in those six months. But their philosophy is that neither would they work, nor would they let anyone else work,” he said.

Calling the l-G, ACB Chief M.K. Meena and Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi just minor speed breakers in the Delhi Government’s road of governance, Kejriwal said if the BJP Government doesn’t stop interfering with the functioning of the Delhi Government, then they will face the same fate in Bihar that they faced here in Delhi.

“A recent survey with 10,500 respondents has revealed that 61 per cent of residents of Bihar feel that the Central Government’s interference with functioning of the Delhi Government will benefit Nitish Kumar. I want to tell them that if they keep interfering, then jo haal unka Delhi mein hua, wohi haal Bihar mein bhi hoga,” he said.

The CM further asked PM Modi to cooperate with the Delhi Government instead of working against it. “While our Government has achieved so much with the Central Government working against us, think how much will we achieve if we work togetherIJ I urge the Prime Minister to leave the idea of this obstructionist federalism and come towards cooperative federalism,” he said.