Ready for fresh polls; Kejriwal quit to cover up failures: BJP

After Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recommended dissolution of Delhi assembly and holding of fresh elections" to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said it would seek a fresh mandate rather than form an alternative government.

"I had said this on December 8 (after Delhi assembly election results) that we do not have the number. We are even ready if election is held next week," BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Harsh Vardhan said.

In Delhi assembly elections, BJP won 31 seats while its ally Shiromani Akali Dal won 1 in the 70-member House to emerge as the single largest party.

However, when invited to form the government by Jung, BJP chose to sit in the opposition citing lack of number.

Accusing Kejriwal of "failing miserably" to deliver on the promises made by him, the BJP leader said his party was "thoroughly committed to Jan Lokpal".

"We were never opposed to the Jan Lokpal Bill. Even today, we are thoroughly committed to the Jan Lokpal Bill," he said.

Attacking the AAP government, Vardhan charged Kejriwal had failed on all fronts and only made false promises.

"He has miserably failed to deliver. Delhiites feel they have been literally betrayed. All those people who are in villages, unauthorised colonies, the poor, everybody to whom promises were made.

"He has never delivered anything except making false speeches. By insulting the constitution (by not abiding by the law that said the bill required prior approval of the Centre), he has not done anything", Vardhan alleged.
Further attacking Kejriwal, Harsh Vardhan said, “The people of Delhi feel they have been betrayed. He has miserably failed to deliver. He has never delivered anything except for making false speeches."

The party also accused Arvind Kejriwal of forming a government in Delhi by "deceit" without a mandate of the people and resigning to cover up his failure

The BJP also charged him with forming an "immoral" alliance and a government which showed "utter disrespect" to constitutional systems and institutions.

"This was one government which was not having a mandate. It came by deceit. They formed an alliance which was immoral and full of internal contradictions.

"In their short regime, they displayed anarchy on several occasions and utter disrespect to Constitutional system and institutions," said BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi.

He said finally when he realised that he was unable to fulfil his commitments made to people, he decided to resign to "cover up his failures".

Criticising him for recommending dissolution of the assembly while resigning, Trivedi said he did not enjoy the confidence of the House and thus he cannot recommend so.

"After his government virtually lost the vote of confidence, they recommended that the House be dissolved, which only that government can recommend which enjoys the confidence of the House," he said.

Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party emerged with a stunning debut by winning 28 of 70 assembly seats in Delhi and was given support by Congress to form a government.

He took over as Chief Minister on December 28 with outside support of eight Congress MLAs after the assembly polls in Delhi threw up a hung verdict with no party getting majority.

Image: BJP leader Harsh Vardhan