AAP government wants referendum on Delhi's statehood demand

New Delhi: The AAP government wants a referendum on the issue of statehood for Delhi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sent a note to various departments asking them to "draft a law and create machinery for" such a practice.

According to a senior officer, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had recently discussed the referendum plan with his cabinet colleagues. The note from the Chief Minister said "Do a referendum in Delhi. Draft a law and create machinery for referendum."

Kejriwal has asked the Urban Development Department to come up with a feasibility report specifying a timeline. The department was asked to give various options available to the government for conducting such a referendum.

The Law Department has also been asked to discuss the legal issues regarding the matter. Demanding statehood for Delhi, Law Minister Kapil Mishra today said, "Legal complication will not come. Only BJP and Congress will back-track from their promise which they made. It is a political issue."

"People in others states have rights on their land and police and the citizen of Delhi should also have these rights. We should get what others are



getting, why Delhi should suffer?" he asked. Mishra hinted that AAP may launch an agitation programme on the issue.

"BJP and Congress had promised the status of full statehood to Delhi. They forgot their promise, but AAP did not. The AAP government will not sit quietly and no one can stop Delhi from getting statehood," he said, adding what is the harm in taking opinion from public.

The AAP government claimed that proposal for statehood has been delayed due to lack of political will. "AAP has political will. It is high time the people got it (statehood). We will not tolerate step-motherly treatment towards people in Delhi," Mishra said.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan said, "The full statehood for Delhi is in people's favour and let them decide about it. (Let) People decide, then other parties, the Centre should do as people want."

Delhi has a unique status in the Indian union. It is a union territory with a legislative assembly that limits the power of the Delhi government.

Demand of statehood for Delhi was part of the Aam Aadmi Party's manifesto and even other political parties like BJP had been raising the issue.