Sheila Dikshit: Arvind Kejriwal should focus on his responsibilities

Downplaying the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government’s idea of a referendum on complete statehood for Delhi, his predecessor, Sheila Dikshit, on Saturday said that the chief minister should focus on his responsibilities first and start working for the betterment of Delhi.

“Arvind Kejriwal should fulfill his responsibilities first. I think he has been inspired by the recent referendum in England and that’s why he wants to implement it in Delhi as well,” she told ANI. Pointing at the bitter relations between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Central government, L-G and the police Commissioner, she said, “The Congress has also worked with this system for a very long time and the same system was passed on to them. Now, as far as the administration and the matters pertaining to public interests are concerned, they are supposed to sit down and hold a meeting. I think it’s high time Mr Arvind Kejriwal should start thinking about working towards the betterment of Delhi,” she added. Hours after the European Union referendum results were declared on Friday afternoon, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo said a similar referendum will be conducted in the Delhi to assess the people’s mood for granting complete statehood for Delhi. “After UK referendum, Delhi will soon have a referendum on full statehood,” he tweeted.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan took to Twitter and said, “After the UK referendum on EU exit, it’s time to have a referendum on full statehood of Delhi. In a democracy the will of the people is supreme.” In May, Mr Kejriwal made public a draft bill on Delhi’s statehood which did not include certain areas, forcing the BJP to state that only Parliament was empowered to prepare and pass the law in the matter as per the Constitution. The Delhi government has been demanding full statehood status for the national capital since long and it has locked horns with the BJP regime at the Centre and lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung on the media. While statehood for Delhi was part of the AAP’s manifesto, the BJP which had been raising the issue for years, kept mum on it ahead of the February 2015 state elections.