Kejriwal threatens to quit

New Delhi: Upping the ante over the Jan Lokpal Bill, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal threatened to resign if his pet anti-graft legislation is not passed by the state Assembly due to lack of support from other parties.

A day after he told PTI that he can "go to any extent" over the "huge" issue of corruption, Kejriwal said he does not have the right to stay in office if the contentious legislation does not get the approval of the Assembly. The Bill is opposed both by the Congress, whose continued support is essential for the survival of his seven-week-old government, as well as the Opposition BJP.

"To remove corruption from the country, can sacrifice CM seat a hundred times," Kejriwal said, adding the "Government will fall if the Jan Lokpal Bill and the Swaraj Bill is not passed." Bringing the Jan Lokpal Bill to contain corruption was a key election promise made to the voters by his AAP.

"To establish Swaraj in the country, CM's seat can be sacrificed thousand times. I have not come here to become the CM," the AAP said.

"I did not come here to become the chief minister. I have come here to remove corruption from the country. I am ready," he said when asked whether he was ready to quit on the iseue of Jan Lokpal and Swaraj Bills. The Jan Lokpal Bill and Swaraj Bill will be tabled on the floor of the Delhi Assembly on February 13, the chief minister said.

In a House of 70, AAP's strength has been reduced to 27 including the Speaker after its MLA Vinod Kumar Binny was expelled from the party while the Congress has eight legislators. The BJP has 32.

Congress termed Kejriwal's threat to resign over Jan Lokpal Bill a "shrewd" tactic to run away from responsibility and said it will support the proposed legislation provided laid down procedures are followed.

"Nobody is above the law. The Chief Minister wants to run away from responsibility. He is finding an excuse. It is a shrewd tactic," DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said. He said Congress will fully support the Jan Lokpal Bill if the Kejriwal government tables it in Assembly following the laid down procedures. The Home Ministry is likely to consider Kejriwal's request for withdrawal of a 12-year-old order that makes it mandatory for all Bills to be sent to the Centre before being tabled in the Delhi Assembly. Officials said that the 2002 order to the Delhi government cannot be rescinded without legal consultations and the Home Ministry may refer the matter to the Law Ministry for its opinion.

Since this order was not passed by the present government, the legal antecedents of the order have to be, therefore, verified before taking any decision on it, the officials said.

"The Delhi Chief Minister's request will be definitely considered but due legal advice has to be taken and due process has to be followed," an official said. However, a final decision on the matter will be taken by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde after his return to Delhi from Maharashtra. The Chief Minister has been maintaining that he would table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly without taking any permission from the Home Ministry and termed the directive as "unconstitutional". The Delhi Cabinet, after approving the bill, also passed a resolution that the central government order was unconstitutional. Kejriwal said that he can "go to any extent" to get the anti-corruption bill passed.

CM may appear to be at loggerheads with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung over Jan Lokpal Bill but Kejriwal was effusive in praising him and said AAP leaders should be careful with their language despite their anguish.

Asserting that there was no "cracking" in his relationship with Jung, Kejriwal said he hoped to continue with the "good equation" he has with the Lt Governor and described him as a noble person.