NEW DELHI: It is not a battle between the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister, but a fight of interpretations, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today said, even as he asked whether the people of Delhi should now go to "elected representatives" or a "selected few".
He was reacting to the Delhi High Court ruling as per which the national capital continues to remain a Union Territory under the Constitution with the Lieutenant Governor as its administrative head.
"While we respect the verdict given by the honourable High Court, they must have assessed all the considerations.
But, we respectfully disagree with the verdict. And, the Constitution gives us the right to do so.
"Now this situation raises a bigger question in our democracy. Should the two crore people of Delhi now go to their MLAs or LG for reporting corruption and for developmental works. Why were these people's representatives elected with so much expenditure?" Sisodia asked.
At a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, the Deputy Chief Minister contended that Delhi is a UT with a legislature. He also quoted sections from notifications on the Right To Education and Transaction Business Rights giving Constitutional provision to treat Delhi as so.
"The Constitution is supreme and people are the super boss of Constitution. It begins with 'We the People...' and therefore, we will approach the Supreme Court. But, our government will run as it has been," he said.
Alluding to the judgement, he said, now this would have severe ramifications.
"It means, the Delhi government has no right to probe irregularity in CNG fitness (scam). Any scam in DDCA cannot be probed by us even though future of sportspersons be jeopardised. Farmers' compensation cannot be hiked, and we cannot appoint directors in the board in power companies, so people wouldn't be able to get compensation as they could get earlier, for any violation," he said.
"Media keep showing it is Jung vs Kejriwal or LG vs CM issue... But, it is not Jung vs Kejriwal or about LG vs CM, it's a fight of interpretations. It is about whether Delhi residents would be run by a government of elected people or a selected few. This is the fundamental question with which we will go to the Supreme Court," he said.