New Delhi: With Aam Admi Party setting conditions for government formation, Congress' Delhi unit on Saturday hit out at Arvind Kejriwal-led party for trying to "avoid responsibilities" and dared it to respect the mandate.
"Congress has extended support so that AAP can form the government as they got the mandate from the people of Delhi. AAP has sent the long list only to avoid responsibilities," Congress MLA and former Power Minister Haroon Yusuf told reporters here.
The party which was routed in the Delhi assembly election after being in power for 15 years claimed that the 18 issues raised by Kejriwal in his letter to chiefs of Congress and BJP had nothing to do with the legislature and showed his "lack of knowledge" in the field.
It also dismissed suggestions that it would hamstring the new government's functioning. Throwing the gauntlet, the party said that AAP should have shown its competency to bring any Bill and get it passed in the Assembly, instead of misleading people.
"Making promises and talking about giving freebies is one thing and to be actually delivering them is another...if things go on like this, then one day they may send letters to the US President and the UN Chief," Yusuf said.
In a surprise move, Congress had last night extended unconditional support of its eight MLAs to AAP for forming the next government. However, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal during a meeting with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Saturday sought time and said that he had written letters to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP President Rajnath Singh seeking their views on a list of 18 issues.
Yusuf attacked Kejriwal "for making fun of democracy by shying away" from their responsibility and said "if people of Delhi have given you a mandate and Congress is readily extending support, then they should form the government and fulfil their promises."
"He has garnered vote by misleading people of Delhi. I would ask the youth, who have supported them thinking AAP would bring a change, that they should also demand that the party form the government and fulfil their promises," the former minister said.
Former Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said Congress had given a letter to Lt Governor saying it would be giving unconditional support to AAP, which means "we would not have a tie-up and they will get our support".
Lovely termed the writing of letter to Presidents of the Congress and the BJP by AAP leader Kejriwal as a "peculiar situation" and "lack of knowledge as they were new to the political arena."
"I would like to tell them that administration has two parts, Executive and Legislature, and we are supporting in Assembly. What they are saying has no relevance with the support to them as their 18 issues are part of Executive and Legislature has no interference in it," he said.
Kejriwal should understand "if he wants to bring the power tariff down, they can do, if they want a probe against corruption, they can do that, they don't have to ask the Assembly, it's a cabinet decision," he said.
Singh said their support does not mean interference in day-to-day work, "if they want to reduce water tariff they can do that as the Chief Minister is Chairman of Delhi Jal Board.
"Government has to be competent enough to arrange funds for all these thing. If they feel they can't arrange then they should not do it but we won't be arranging funds for their plans," he added.
Singh took a dig at Kejriwal, saying while he was a specialist on Income Tax and revenue, he should also hire some constitutional experts so that they could tell them about the procedures. He said a false notion was being spread among the people that "we would bring their government down, but they should know that there is a procedure that no no-confidence motion could be brought within six month of the formation of the government."
"This is quite a long time to fulfill their promises -- which they said would be implemented within one month to six months of coming to power, and fulfil all their promises. And we are not insane that we would bring the government down, if they have fulfilled their promises," he added.
The Congress MLA said that AAP should have shown their competency to bring any bill and get it passed. "I would request you not to mislead the people, who have elected you. Don't shy away from your responsibility and form a government and don't push the people to re-election," he said, adding "we have nothing to lose but you have as you got the mandate".
