The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that both of its arch-rivals Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Congress have taken a “U-turn” on the issue of full statehood to Delhi thus falling back on their promises for the same.
AAP called the BJP and Congress party stand on full statehood a “political opportunism”. Addressing the media persons, AAP Delhi Convenor Gopal Rai challenged both the BJP and Congress to answer the five questions he has put to both the parties.
Rai said the ongoing Delhi Assembly session has exposed the sudden u-turn on statehood by both the BJP and the Congress.
He alleged that the BJP has made every attempt during the ongoing Assembly session to avoid discussion on the statehood issue.
“The truth, however behind all this was revealed yesterday by the BJP Delhi President Manoj Tiwari, who announced his party’s betrayal with the people of Delhi,” he said.
“It is beyond any reasonable understanding as to how the decades-old promise by BJP stalwarts from former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister lK Advani has been suddenly junked by today’s BJP,” said Rai.
He further said that during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the bill demanding full statehood for the city was introduced in the lok Sabha on 18th August 2003 by then Home Minister l K Advani. Interestingly, the then chairman of the parliamentary standing committee for Home Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, in the report presented to the Parliament in December 2003, had strongly endorsed the bill,” he said.
Similarly the Congress party which also promised full statehood in its manifesto for 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, has now taken u-turn, he added.