AAP Legal Cell Says Delhi L-G `Obstructing City Govt`s Works, Mayoral Election`

`The lawyers of Delhi have been silent for several years now, but the way the LG in Delhi has been obstructing the works of the Delhi government, we have all decided to hit the streets in protest,` said the AAP Legal Cell president.

New Delhi: The AAP's Delhi Legal Cell held a demonstration outside the LG House here on Wednesday, alleging that Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has been causing "problems" in the implementation the city government's welfare schemes. It also attacked the BJP and the lieutenant governor on the MCD mayoral election and said they were "obstructing" the conduct of the poll.

The mayoral election for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been stalled thrice since the civic body polls in December last year due to ruckus by AAP and BJP members in its House.

On February 13, the Supreme Court observed that nominated members of the MCD cannot vote in the election even as the poll scheduled for February 16 was postponed again.

"The lawyers of Delhi have been silent and carrying out their duties for several years now, but the way the LG in Delhi has been obstructing the works of the Delhi government and causing them problems in the implementation of welfare schemes, we have all decided to hit the streets in protest," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Legal Cell president and advocate Sanjeev Nasiar said.

"Our only demand is that the LG, who holds a constitutional post, should follow the laws written in the Constitution of India, while carrying out his functions," he said.

In a statement, the legal cell of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party said that it was also "upset" with the handling of the mayoral elections of the MCD, and by the LG's decision to allow the 10 nominated councillors (aldermen) to vote in the election.

"When mayoral candidate Dr. Shelley Oberoi raised this issue in the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court stated that the LG and the pro-tem speaker were wrong. The Supreme Court stopped the nominated councillors from voting," the cell claimed.

It demanded the removal of the Delhi LG. "The current LG has disobeyed the mandate of the people of Delhi and therefore, a new LG should be selected and that candidate should be willing to follow the norms laid out by the Constitution of India," the statement said.

The LG office and the city government have been locked in a tussle over various issues, including the government's proposal to send teachers of state-run teachers to Finland for training.