Pranab OK with Delhi L-G's move to invite BJP to form Delhi govt: Centre to SC

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has given his consent to Delhi LG’s proposal to invite BJP to form the government in the national capital, the Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court which rapped the LG for the five-month delay in taking a decision. The apex court said that in a democracy, President’s Rule cannot go on forever and questioned why the authorities failed to act expeditiously. [caption id=“attachment_1776245” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung. Reuters[/caption] A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said that it will hear the petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seeking dissolution of the House even though the Centre informed the bench that the President has given his consent on Lt Governor Najeeb Jung’s proposal to invite BJP to form government. The bench also asked why the Centre always comes out with one statement or another just a day before the matter is taken up for hearing by it. “Just before matter is taken up for hearing, you make a statement. Why was it not decided earlier? How long can you go on like this?” the bench said, adding that LG should have taken the decision at the earliest. “We can’t shrug our responsibility and we will hear the case on merit,” the bench said, adding, “in a democratic polity people have right to have government and not to be ruled by a governor.” It said that such issues take time and that is why it adjourned the case many times to facilitate the LG to take a decision but nothing has been done. Referring to the President’s letter which was placed before the bench, the apex court said that “this exercise should have been done much earlier”. PTI