‘Delhi Govt Serving People Very Well’: AAP’s Sandeep Pathak Slams Shah Over ‘No Intention to Serve’ Remark – News18

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national general secretary Sandeep Pathak on Thursday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks that the AAP had no intention to serve the people but to pick up fights with the Centre since it formed the government in the national capital in 2015.

The Rajya Sabha MP said the Arvind Kejriwal-led government is one of the governments which is serving people very well and it is the reason the party was re-elected to power.

During the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Shah said the BJP and Congress had ruled the national capital without any confrontation, and problems arose only in 2015 when a government came that had no intention to serve but only be at loggerheads with the Centre.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Pathak said if the “unconstitutional and undemocratic” bill related to the control of services in the national capital is passed by the Parliament then it will snatch away all the powers of the elected representatives. The Delhi Services Bill was passed by Lok Sabha amid a walkout by the opposition.

“You heard what the Home Minister said… The Delhi government is one of the governments which is serving people very well. All the schemes whether health or education, we have made substantial inroads and the people are voting us back again and again is testimony of the fact that people love Kejriwal,” he said when asked to comment on Shah’s remarks.

Elaborating on why the AAP thinks the Services Bill is “unconstitutional”, Pathak said, “If you go to Article 239 AA, it clearly says that except for those three key parameters, the rest lies with the state government. Now, the constitution bench of the Supreme Court recently gave a clear verdict, the unanimous verdict that services should also lie with the state government. Now, there is nothing beyond this. This bill they have bought is unconstitutional and undemocratic.”

‘If We Give A Word…’: Sandeep Pathak on Amit Shah’s ‘AAP to Ditch New Oppn Bloc’ Claim

The AAP leader asserted his party will remain in the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, saying it is a “trustworthy party”. He was reacting to Shah’s comments that the AAP will ditch the opposition bloc once the Delhi Services Bill is passed by the Parliament.

“It is clear that they are very frustrated and desperate about this INDIA alliance that has been created. If you look at the BJP’s past record, wherever they formed a coalition with the local government or the state government or political party, they destroyed the political party in that state and then eventually they grew the way they grew. So, it applies precisely to the BJP, not to the AAP. The AAP is a trustworthy party. If we give a word, we totally abide by it,” Pathak said.

The AAP leader said the BJP has been thumping their chest and demanding full statehood of Delhi for four decades. “I think Amit Shah has also forgotten the past record of the BJP and he has taken revenge against the people of Delhi,” he said.

On Shah’s allegations of corruption in the renovation of the Chief Minister’s residence, Pathak said, “We should also investigate the building of Prime Minister Modi, the Central Vista that he has inaugurated recently and spending so much money… Absolutely, there are a lot of allegations against it… Everything is in the court and we fully trust the court that they will come out clean.”

Pathak said that the BJP is frustrated and desperate about I.N.D.I.A. coalition which comprises 26 parties including Congress and AAP.

Asked to comment on the AAP’s strategy in Rajya Sabha, Pathak said, “So, we will see. We will fight it out. We will fight it out in the Rajya Sabha… The key point is what kind of message the BJP is giving to the public. The message is very simple – if you don’t vote for me, I will snatch away the government irrespective of which side wins (the election).”

Reacting to the decision of some non-NDA and non-I.N.D.I.A. parties to support the bill, Pathak said Kejriwal tried his level best to convince parties to extend support. “It is for those political parties who call themselves independent and call themselves pro-people and whenever there is a test, they side on the other side. They will be exposed. This kind of Act will not be forgotten by the people of this country. They will remember it and give a befitting reply when the time comes.”