In a press conference, Arvind Kejriwal said, “I request Modiji with folded hands, your fight is with me”.
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There were total four Bills sent by the AAP government till December 2015 that include the bill that sought to protect 21 AAP MLAs, who have been appointed Parliamentary Secretaries, from office of profit.
Attacking both opposition parties-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress-Kejriwal said that they too had appointed parliamentary secretaries during their terms in power. “Why only Delhi? Because he (Modi) is scared of Aam Aadmi Party”, Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also defended the 21 MLAs and claimed that they are the “eyes, ears and hands” of the Delhi government and are qualified and hardworking. “Beat me if you wish, but do not harass the people of Delhi”.
What is a parliamentary secretary? This triggered the Congress and BJP criticism of the Kejriwal government amid reports that the 21 legislators face disqualification for holding the parliamentary secretary posts.
Justifying the appointment of the secretaries, Kejriwal said, “If we have a talent pool, then why can’t we use their talent?”
Under the Constitution, elected representatives stand to be disqualified if they hold an office of profit.
With the President refusing assent to the bill, the 21 ruling party MLAs at present have no legal backing for holding the post of parliamentary secretaries. In the Assembly elections in February previous year, the AAP swept to power winning 67 seats and leaving 3 seats to the BJP.
With AAP failing to give a stable government, President’s Rule was imposed in Delhi. “Mohalla Clinics are product of their hard work so is the mapping of schools”, said Kejriwal. They are working hard to ensure that people get good services. According to the constitution of India, an elected member can not hold an office of profit. The TRS government had notified the appointment of six MLAs as parliamentary secretaries through a Government Order and had also passed the Telangana Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, salaries, allowances, and miscellaneous provisions) Act.
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AAP parliamentary secretaries, however, argued against their disqualification. Earlier, the AAP Parliamentary Secretaries had told the Election Commission that their post was similar to an “intern”, or a “volunteer assistant” attached to a Cabinet minister.
