NEW DELHI: The BJP wholeheartedly welcomed the Supreme Court judgment over the division of powers, while the Congress reminded the AAP that “fighting was no solution” to the matter. 

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said it was a “lesson” for Kejriwal who, he claimed, always tried to cross the boundaries by adopting “unconstitutional” means. “This verdict is a slap on the face of urban Naxals like Arvind Kejriwal. Why, after all, he wants to go across the boundaries of the Constitution. He should now focus on work after this judgment,” Tiwari said.

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“Kejriwal moves the Supreme Court against the central government and when the decision is pronounced, he terms it as an injustice to the people. Why does he want to work beyond the limits of the Constitution?” Kejriwal should respect the Constitution and learn from the history of former chief ministers of Delhi like Madan Lal Khurana and Sahib Singh Verma, he said.

“We welcome the Supreme Court decision removing ambiguities in the powers of the Delhi government. After this verdict, there shouldn’t be any scope for confusion or conflict. The Delhi govt should humbly accept it & govern the capital as it was being done before they had come to power,” Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta tweeted.

Former chief minister and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Diskhit asserted that the Constitution has defined the power which the Delhi government has. “It’s not unlimited. The Centre, the Lt Governor and the Home Ministry handle a lot of things. Fighting is no solution. Make changes if needed. Power does not depend on the number of seats you have,” she said, referring to the AAP’s stronghold on the Delhi Assembly. 

Ashutosh laments situation
Referring to the SC judgment, former AAP member Ashutosh said that the situation in Delhi is “unfortunate”. “The judgment will have an impact on the functioning of government. It will hamper the administration as the most contentious issue has not been clarified,” he said. Whatever may be the legally tenable solution to this situation is, it should be found there should be no grey area in this matter, he added.