AAP on SC verdict: Slap on ones who wanted to topple us

Press Trust of India

New Delhi: The AAP on Thursday termed the Supreme Court's verdict on the CentreDelhi services row a "tight slap" on the mission to topple governments through "unconstitutional ways" while Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the judgment will ensure increased pace of development.

The chief minister also expressed his "heartfelt thanks" to the Supreme Court for "doing justice to the people of Delhi". Following the top court verdict, Kejriwal has called a meeting with his cabinet ministers. In a unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over services.

Welcoming the verdict, the AAP said in a tweet in Hindi, "The elected government will have the power of transfer-posting of officers. Officers will work only through the elected government." The Lt Governor will have no power over the officers to stop the work of the people of Delhi, the party said.

Gopal Rai, the state convener of the AAP's Delhi unit, said at a press conference, "This is a tight slap on the Modi government and its mission to topple elected governments through unconstitutional methods. The Modi government had done the work of usurping the powers of the Delhi government through the Lt Governor and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"The Modi government was pushing democracy into darkness by destabilising governments." They were running a "campaign to paralyse the work being done by the Delhi government", and the verdict is a "ray of hope in darkness", he added. Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said Delhi's people have won the battle that was being fought by Kejriwal for nearly nine years.

"Today, this battle has established one thing in the country -- there is one institution that will stand up and restore order whenever there will be a threat. That institution is the apex court. "Today, the Supreme Court has delivered a historic verdict. I feel that in today's time this verdict will be remembered in a long time," he added.