Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday claimed that both the Congress and the BJP were adopting double standard in questioning his Government for appointing MlAs as Parliamentary Secretaries when they themselves did so when they ruled the national Capital.
“When previous Congress and BJP Chief Ministers appointed Parliamentary Secretaries, then it was legal. And when AAP appointed, then it was illegal and unconstitutional,” questioned Kejriwal.
Addressing a Press conference, Kejriwal said then Delhi CM and BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma had appointed MlA Nand Kishore Garg as Parliamentary Secretary in 1997. Sheila Dikshit too had appointed then MlA Ajay Maken as Parliamentary Secretary, he said.
“The Congress Government had given Maken all facilities when he was Parliamentary Secretary to the CM. later, the Sheila Dikshit Government had also appointed Mukesh Sharma and Prahlad Singh Sawhney to the posts,” he said, adding, “Now Maken is making most of the noises.”
Tracing the genesis of the tradition, Kejriwal said Delhi had three Parliamentary Secretaries in 1953 — HKl Bhagat, Kumari Shanta Vashisht and Shiv Charan Dasgupta, appointed by first CM of Delhi Choudhury Braham Prakash.
The 21 AAP MlAs appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries are Government’s “eyes, ears and hands”, he said.
“It is with their help that our Government is functioning,” he said. “These Parliamentary Secretaries put in a lot of effort behind all the development work we do.”
“They are highly-qualified people in different fields, starting from MBA to engineering and not illiterates like in other parties. Mohalla Clinics are product of their hard work so is the mapping of schools,” said Kejriwal.
The Chief Minister said that after taking power in February 2015, he decided to ask some of his legislators, who are doctors and engineers, to work as Parliamentary Secretaries.
Kejriwal further urged Prime Minister Modi not to disrupt Delhi’s development because of his personal grudges. “I request Modiji with folded hands, your fight is with me. Beat me if you wish, but do not harass the people of Delhi. Don’t try to stop the good work being done in Delhi which is being praised world-wide including by the UN,” Kejriwal said.
He reiterated that these Parliamentary Secretaries were not being paid any money for the extra work they do. The Chief Minister left the Press conference after making his statement.
Reacting to Kejriwal’s assertion, Dikshit wondered whether the Delhi CM was implying that the President is “also hostile” to him. Maken, in his reaction, said appointing 21 MlAs to the posts was unprecedented and Kejriwal cannot hide behind a few appointments in the past.
The fate of 21 AAP MlAs, appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries, hangs in balance after President Pranab Mukherjee refused to give his assent to a Bill passed by the Delhi Assembly last year.