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With the alleged assault of Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs turning into a political battle, the BJP termed it a “constitutional crisis” but added that the central government is not mulling the possibility of imposing President’s Rule, sources said. Facing heat over the PNB fraud, the BJP is expected to mount its campaign against AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. On Friday, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said there was a “situation of Constitutional crisis in Delhi” and that “none other than the CM” is “responsible for it.”
Minutes after Kejriwal — whose residence was searched by the Delhi Police — targeted BJP president Amit Shah over the case of death of judge B H Loya, Patra called him a “dictatorially elected president of almost a private limited company”. “The CM called a meeting midnight not for some issue of public concern, but it was a meeting concerning his publicity. And what happened was a shameful incident. He (Kejriwal) has displayed immature leadership,” Shyam Jaju, central BJP’s in-charge for Delhi, told The Indian Express.
Also read | Another AAP MLA wades in: Beat up officers who sit on files
BJP sources, however, maintained that the Centre would not consider invoking Article 356 — the imposition of President’s Rule — in the capital. “Invoking Article 356 will be used in rarest of rare cases,” a source said. The BJP will “wait and watch” the developments, added a source. “Why should we intervene when AAP is damaging its image? The AAP wants to drag in the BJP and play the victim card,” a BJP leader said.
The party has assigned its Delhi unit to battle it out, although the central team is keeping a close watch. The party leadership, sources said, is conscious that BJP should not give AAP an opportunity to play the “victim card” at the hands of the BJP-ruled Centre. The party will also make sure the issue is debated intensely in the public space, the source added.
Related | There’s no place for violence, says Anil Baijal after CM Kejriwal calls on him
Home Minister Rajnath Singh had tweeted after a delegation of officers apprised him of the situation. “Officers were aghast by the developments and expressed panic. Rajnath issued a tweet immediately to assuage their hurt,” a source from the North Block said. A BJP leader said, “The situation is different from, say, 2-3 years ago. Kejriwal had managed to project a national hope. That sentiment has ebbed. He does not pose as big a national challenge for the party to strategise about containing him.”
On Friday, Patra cited the “arrests of 14 AAP MLAs” at different points on charges ranging from violence to molestation to forgery. Targeting Kejriwal, he said that the CM’s decision to call the chief secretary to his residence and the alleged assault was a case of “bullying and thuggery”. Patra added that Kejriwal wants a lawless situation and that “this kind of anarchist mentality will not be beneficial to Delhi”.
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