Former Delhi Chief Minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Saturday said she never backed BJP to form the Government in Delhi, refuting media reports that quoted her as saying otherwise.
“I never said BJP should form Government in Delhi. All I said was that if they have the numbers, they should form the Government,” clarified Dikshit. Dikshit’s loyalists Mateen Ahmed and Asif Mohammed Khan have supported her statement, saying if BJP has the numbers, they should form the Government.
Delhi Congress had immediately distanced itself from Dikshit’s “shocking” statement, saying it is her personal view and doesn’t represent party’s stand. “We are shocked by Sheila Dikshit’s statement on Government formation. It is her personal view and Congress has nothing to do with it. Our stand is very clear from Day One that Congress would not let the BJP form Government in the national Capital,” Delhi Congress’ chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma had said.
Delhi BJP, however, had praised Dikshit for her “straightforward” statement over current political deadlock in the national Capital while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that it was not surprised as “there is hardly any difference between BJP and Congress.”
On Thursday, Dikshit had said, “In a democracy, elected Governments are always good as they represent the people. If BJP has reached such a situation that it can form Government, it is good for Delhi,” adding, “if people’s voice is heard, it is good. If they (BJP) form Government, they will have to prove majority on the floor of House...”
With 28 MlAs, BJP is still eight short of a simple majority in the 70-member House. Neither the Congress nor BJP MlAs are in favour of fresh elections. However, senior leaders of these two principal parties want elections.
The 76-year-old leader, who had led Congress to spectacular victories in the Assembly polls of 1998, 2003 and 2009, had said that MlAs, whether they are from Congress, AAP or others, do not want immediate elections.
“As far as I could understand, every MlA, whether he is from Congress or AAP or others, doesn’t want an election. People are saying that the MlAs have just been elected and their membership has not crossed even one year. As far as I can understand and people are telling me that they (MlAs) want Government to be formed.”
The Delhi Chief Minister for 15 years has also ruled herself out of the race for power in Delhi. She said, “I rule myself out of Delhi completely. I am not interested. let the young generation take over.”