Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Maha rally today is for the “people of Delhi”, and their fight for the right to vote and democracy, Delhi education minister Atishi Singh told News18 ahead of the event, which is being held against Centre’s ordinance promulgated last month.
“Today’s Maha rally is not a Maha rally of Arvind Kejriwal or AAP… it is the rights of the people of Delhi that have been taken away. It is the power of their vote that has been taken away. If the people of Delhi have elected a government to power, snatching the rights of that government is (like) snatching the rights of the people of Delhi. That is why, people are coming out in large numbers to protect their right to vote and the Constitution,” Atishi Singh told News18 on Sunday morning.
Around 1 lakh people are expected to take part in the rally at Ramlila Ground in Delhi where Kejriwal started off his anti-corruption crusade in 2012, with activist Anna Hazare at its helm.
Singh said the people of Delhi will come to Ramlila Maidan to “express their unhappiness against the dictatorship of the central government”.
The Constitution of India has given the people of Delhi the right to elect a government, and that is what they are fighting for, she stressed.
When asked about the party’s back-up plan, Singh said the ordinance will not stand the test of the Constitution. “It is unconstitutional, it is against the order of the Constitution Bench and therefore it will be struck down in the court of law,” she added.
AAP convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to address the gathering around noon. None of the leaders from other parties have been invited to the rally, since it’s an all “AAP affair”.
Kejriwal had met leaders of the opposition party, including West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP leader Sharad Pawar over the last month to gather support against Centre’s ordinance in Rajya Sabha.
The Centre had promulgated an ordinance that allows it to exercise authority over civil service officers working in all Delhi government department except those in public order, police and land. It would decide transfer, postings, prosecution, vigilance and disciplinary actions. The opinion of the Lieutenant Governor would be considered final in case of difference of opinion.
The Supreme Court had, however, held that even the “limited discretionary power” afforded to the L-G “ought to be exercised in a careful manner in rare circumstances such as on matters of finance and national security”. The L-G cannot refer every matter to the President.
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