The lieutenant-Governor of Delhi and the Centre appear to be not in a hurry to impose President’s Rule in the national Capital. lieutenant- Governor Najeeb Jung is believed to have recommended to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to give more time to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for formation of Government.
The MHA has directed the lieutenant-Governor to seek a specific time frame from the AAP for its decision to form the Government.
With the AAP set to announce its decision on staking claim on Monday, after “due consultations with the people of Delhi”, the Centre is in a bind whether to immediately act on a report sent by the lieutenant-Governor last week. The lieutenant Governor, citing the inability of both the BJP and the AAP to form the Government for now, on Saturday had recommended imposition of President’s
Rule as an option to end the impasse. Earlier, Union Home Minister Shushilkumar Shinde said that the MHA has communicated to the Delhi lieutenant-Governor to get a time frame from the AAP for the formation of a Government.
The lieutenant-Governor is said to have suggested that the newly-elected Delhi Assembly be put under President’s Rule and keep Delhi Assembly under suspended animation, enabling the Centre to lift President’s Rule as and when a party or combination of parties is willing to stake claim.
"Since there is no time bar for the Centre to decide on imposing President’s rule in Delhi, given that the new Assembly has already been notified. The Government wants to give more time to the AAP for formation of a new Government. This will ensure that AAP does not accuse the Centre of rushing with President’s rule even as it was in the midst of consultations with the people to decide on forming the Government," said a senior officer of the Delhi Government on the condition of anonymity.
The issue of President’s rule in Delhi was not listed in the agenda for Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of Centre. Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav on Thursday said that his party would not give in to the time-frame given by the Centre to form the Government in Delhi.
However, there is also a contrary view in the Government that the political uncertainty and vacuum in Delhi should not be allowed to linger, and President’s rule imposed in the absence of any clarity from the AAP on whether it will stake claim or the timing of such a decision.
Kejriwal had set 18 conditions for the Congress and the BJP before it can decide on taking their support to form a Government. The Congress had then put the ball in AAP’s court, saying 16 of its 18 demands required only administrative decisions and had nothing to do with Parliament or Assembly. In a House of 70, BJP(31) and its ally Akali Dal(1) together have 32 seats, four short of a majority, while AAP has 28 seats.