Sandeep Dikshit, a prominent member of the Congress party, has taken aim at both the central government and the Delhi Government, asserting that their policies show a lack of distinction. Dikshit goes so far as to label the central government as the most detrimental to democratic principles.
Dikshit remarked, “The current functioning of the central government raises concerns about its impact on the well-being of the underprivileged and democracy itself. The performance of this government has failed to benefit the disadvantaged or the nation as a whole… There is an observable alignment of policies between AAP and BJP…”
Furthermore, Dikshit cautioned against repeating the mistakes made by various political parties in 1977, when they supported Jan Sangh to oust the Indira Gandhi government following the emergency.
“We must consider whether we are falling into the same trap that many political parties did in 1977 by supporting Jan Sangh against Congress. It was Jan Sangh that initiated divisive politics. I will express my stance on this matter and await the party’s decision,” Dikshit articulated.
The preservation of democracy was the primary objective in the 1977 general elections. The Janata Party contested the elections with the aim of toppling the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi.
During the Emergency of 1975, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi invoked dictatorial powers, leading to the arrest of several key opposition figures, including Morarji Desai and Jayaprakash Narayan.
Various groups, such as the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Congress (O), and Socialist Party, united to establish the Janata Party. However, the party eventually splintered, and Indira Gandhi regained power.
Furthermore, in his critique of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Dikshit reiterated his support for the Centre’s Ordinance on Delhi services, suggesting that Kejriwal’s opposition was driven by his need to shield himself from corruption allegations.
“When I expressed that the ordinance (Delhi NCT services) is justifiable and accused him (Arvind Kejriwal) of attempting to protect himself due to ongoing corruption cases against him, I was highlighting that if he faced challenges in administering Delhi, he had the option to address issues in education or healthcare. His concerns were not related to Delhi’s administration; he was merely attempting to safeguard his interests by opposing the ordinance,” Sandeep Dikshit asserted.
This is not the first instance of the son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit taking jabs at Mr. Kejriwal.
Earlier in the same month, Mr. Dikshit pointed the finger at Delhi Chief Minister for the passage of the Bill to replace the ordinance regarding control of services in Delhi, blaming their power struggle and contentious exchanges with the Centre for the creation of the draft legislation governing service control in the national capital.
The draft legislation on Delhi services was ratified by Parliament this month, securing passage in the Rajya Sabha by a comfortable margin.
Congress, among the Opposition parties, lent its support to AAP in its endeavor to hinder the Bill’s passage in Parliament, as the two parties united under the grand Opposition bloc — INDIA.
