As it completed an eventful 100 days in office, the Aam Aadmi Party government on Sunday mounted a blistering attack on Modi dispensation accusing it of making a "U-turn" on granting full statehood to Delhi and indicated tabling a resolution to reject the "unconstitutional" notification giving absolute powers to the Lt Governor.
In further hardening of its position, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said AAP government will not compromise on the issue and alleged that the Centre was trying to run Delhi "by hook or by crook" and violating the "federal structure".
The party legislators went into a huddle with the top leadership at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence ahead of the two-day 'emergency' session of the Delhi Assembly starting Tuesday.
The MLAs slammed the Centre's "infringement" on their rights, setting the tone for the assembly session. The party has a strength of 67 in a House of 70.
Sources said there will be an "open" Cabinet meeting at a public event on Monday on the occasion of 100 days of AAP government, where the full statehood issue is likely to be discussed.
Though the MLAs refused to come on record on whether the party would move a resolution against the home ministry's notification, the sources said such a step was "very likely".
"Modiji himself said and they put it in their manifesto to give Delhi a full statehood. Now, when the issue has come up, let alone our right, or talking about it, they are trying to bully us (dadagiri dikha rahen hain). Delhi government will not be mum on the issue," Sisodia alleged.
The deputy chief minister said he has "hope" from the upcoming session as the "Assembly is the mother of government and it is supreme and most empowered body."
In the campaign for Lok Sabha polls last year, the BJP had promised to declare Delhi a full state if the party came to power, noting that it will help ensure proper coordination between various agencies. BJP had swept the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi winning all seven seats with huge margins.
However, the party did not clearly spell out its position on the statehood issue in its vision document released ahead of assembly polls in February. In its manifestoes for previous assembly polls, the party had promised full statehood.
Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that full statehood rights cannot be given to Delhi unless there is general consensus in the country over the issue as the matter concerns the national capital.
Sisodia also wondered why BJP was "scared" of a duel between Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The Centre's biggest U-turn in the last one year is on the issue of giving full statehood status to Delhi. Why is the BJP scared of Kejriwal vs Modi."
He was quoted as saying this by the AAP's official Twitter handle.
Sisodia also accused the media of "spreading lies" and maligning the image of Kejriwal. However, he qualified his remark saying, "We are not against the media but lies."
"We hope to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the next assembly session. We have not stopped probe against any senior person or official. The case against Ambani (Mukesh) is being pursued at a fast pace," he added.
The Centre had issued a notification giving absolute powers to the LG in appointment of bureaucrats and clarifying that he need not "consult" the Delhi chief minister on subjects like police and public order.
The chances of the confrontation ebbing away looks a distant possibility as the two sides have raised the stakes in the power tussle with the Delhi government mulling to take the legal route.
The AAP government has also decided to call a two-day 'emergency' session of Delhi Assembly from Tuesday to deliberate on the notification.
The comment by the chief minister, who has repeatedly alleged "conspiracies" against the government, that there should be a "public trial" of the media evoked sharp criticism.
Later, the government also issued a circular on filing of defamation cases against media houses for publishing or broadcasting news that damages the reputation of the chief minister, the council of ministers or the government. The circular was stayed by Supreme Court.
In February, the AAP government had announced a 50 per cent subsidy on monthly power consumption of up to 400 units and 20,000 litres of free water per month to all households which would cost the exchequer around Rs 1,670 crore annually.
The free water scheme and power subsidy came into effect from March 1.
The ruling AAP on multiple occasions locked horns with the police, accusing it of creating problems towards smooth functioning of the government, which reached its flashpoint when they got entangled in a tussle over the issue of statutory powers of a district magistrate who was asked to probe the alleged suicide of farmer Gajendra Singh.
Delhi Police had written to the district magistrate saying he had no jurisdiction in the matter as it was the subject matter of an FIR filed under various sections of IPC, including abetment of suicide.
The period also saw Kejriwal loyalists having an ugly spat with dissident leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. The duo were expelled from the party last month.
