AAP announces campaign for full statehood

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday announced it is going to launch a campaign to demand full statehood for Delhi, saying it has decided to go to the people's court as it “did not get justice” from the Supreme Court.

Delhi Labour minister and senior AAP leader Gopal Rai also attacked the central government, alleging it does not want corruption to be reduced in Delhi and hence control over Anti-Corruption Branch has been taken away from the Delhi government.

The AAP has convened a meeting of all of its legislators and Delhi office bearers on February 23 to decide a strategy for the statehood campaign. 

“In the past four years, the Centre has tried to disrupt so many initiatives taken by us for the benefit of the residents of Delhi. We tried to resolve the issues at multiple levels but did not get any positive results. We even knocked the Supreme Court's doors but did not get justice,” Rai told reporters.  

The AAP dispensation has been unhappy over the Supreme Court decision to refer the contentious issue of control of services in the National Capital Territory between the Delhi government and the Centre to a larger bench. 

A two-judge bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan had on February 14 ruled that Delhi government will have powers of appointment of special public prosecutors or law officers, fixing land revenue rate and power to appoint or deal with electricity commission or board. 

The apex court, however, ruled that the Delhi Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) cannot probe central government employees.

Rai said on Monday, “But in a democracy, people's court is bigger than any other court. So we have decided that we will go to the public on this issue and start a campaign at a bigger level demanding full statehood for Delhi,” he added.