I am the elected CM, not a terrorist, says Kejriwal
NEWDELHI:DELHI chief minister, in a dramatic speech at the special session of the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday, targeted Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal by saying “I am the elected chief minister of Delhi, not a terrorist.”
The day-long session, that later passed a controversial Bill to regularise 15,000 guest teachers in Delhi government schools, saw Kejriwal in a combative mood. “Delhi ke maalik hum hain, hum chalayenge Delhi (We are the masters of Delhi, we will run it),” the chief minister said.
In his 22 minute speech, Kejriwal said he was fed up with the continuous confrontations with the L-G and Centre over the past two-and-a-half-years.
“We are not terrorists. Why are files of projects commissioned by our own ministers not being shown to them?” questioned an angry CM, who has over the past few months preferred to remain quiet and refrained from directly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He hit out not only at the L-G and the Opposition but also at the bureaucracy with whom the Aam Aadmi Party had shared a strained relation ever since it came to power in 2015.
“The country is run on democracy, not bureaucracy. They (bureaucrats) will follow our orders,” he said in the House, amid thunderous applause from the AAP legislators.
The chief minister also urged Baijal and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta to pass the Guest Teachers Bill as per their own interpretations and procedures.
On Tuesday, the L-G had written to Kejriwal, asserting that the matter falls under the services department, which reports to him.
Kejriwal also initiated a dialogue with Gupta asking him if he and the BJP MLAS wanted guest teachers to be regularised. Gupta said yes, but added that the bill had procedural lapses and had been drafted “shoddily”.
To this, Kejriwal said he is ready to sit with him and make amendments in the document. However, soon the Opposition staged a walkout, after the CM said: “You hide behind bureaucrats and do politics. I dare you to come and confront us face-toface.” After the walkout, Kejriwal added, “By refusing to discuss the issue, the Opposition has revealed its hollowness. They do not have good intentions.”
The AAP leader also took exception to Baijal’s objection that the government did not consult the law department before introducing the Bill. “People did not elect the law secretary, they elected us,” he said.
Looking towards the guest teachers who were seated in the visitor’s gallery, Kejriwal said, “We are not here for vote politics. If L-G clears the Bill, I will myself ask you to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party. But if he doesn’t, then do not leave any stone unturned to defeat the BJP.”
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, while introducing the Bill, affirmed that it was taken up after due legal consultations