Sheila's comments shock Delhi Cong, boost BJP hopes to form govt

New Delhi: While the Congress leadership has been pulling all stops to push Delhi towards a fresh assembly election, former chief minister Sheila Dikshit has set the cat among the pigeons by batting in favour of the BJP trying to form a government.

Delhi Congress leaders have been trying every trick in the book to stall the BJP’s efforts to form the government in Delhi, holding protests across the city in which they have termed the saffron party’s move as “unethical” and “unconstitutional”. The BJP has been at the receiving end from the Congress and the AAP with both claiming that the party is trying to poach on their MLAs. The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to apprise on the status of the government formation by 10 October.

It is in this backdrop that Sheila Dikshit just dropped the bombshell: “I am glad for the people of Delhi if it is possible for an elected government to be formed. If BJP claims that they can form the government, then I think it should be given a trial.” The majority of the Delhi Congress leadership has been stunned into silence - after all, these comments have been made by none other than a leader who was chief minister of Delhi for 15 straight years.

“I’m surprised to hear Sheila ji has said that,” said senior leader Haroon Yusuf. “She is a very senior leader and I don’t know in what context she said it,” he said. But other state leaders like Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and former Union minister Ajay Maken remain quiet but have disapproved of her comments behind closed doors. A former Congress MLA, Bhishma Sharma has even gone to the extent of asking the high command to take action against her.

Meanwhile, this has come as music to the ears of the BJP leadership. The Delhi state unit chief Satish Upadhyaya backed her statement. “Sheila ji is a senior leader and understands how the constitutional process works,” he said. The saffron brigade’s chances had brightened when the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung had given his opinion to Union home ministry that options of an alternative government should be tried before recommending fresh election last week. But a sting operation by AAP leaders in an video which showed Delhi BJP vice-president Sher Singh Dagar allegedly offering money to win over some AAP MLA’s had put them on a sticky wicket.

The current Delhi assembly has 29 (28+1) MLA’s from BJP/SAD combine, 28 (27+1) from AAP, Congress has 8 while JD(U) and Independents are one each. BJP needs five more to reach the magical figure of 34 in the 67 member House. By advocating for exploring possibilities to form a government, Sheila’s comments have now given the fillip that BJP was looking for.

This has created an embarrassing situation for the Congress, and it was left to senior Congress leaders to set the record straight.

“We are very clear that there is no way any two major parties are coming together for government formation,” said PC Chacko, senior Congress leader. “Our party has said earlier also that the only option left in Delhi is to go for fresh elections,” he said.

While Sheila has so far not shown much interest to return to active politics in Delhi after her resignation as Governor of Kerala last month, but this statement is likely to bring the warring anti-Sheila lobby into a huddle soon.

While AAP leaders have minced no words in saying that Sheila is playing into the hands of the BJP, they have also alleged that the Centre has also gone slow in taking up cases pending against her. While she enjoyed immunity till she was Governor, and it was expected that the new regime would speed up the cases relating to the Commonwealth Games scam and misuse of public funds among others.

“We are not afraid of any probe, they will gain nothing except harassing the old lady,” says a Sheila loyalist on condition of anonymity. “What is wrong if she says Delhi should have an elected government? Ask any MLA and he will say she said the right thing because none of them want elections,” he confides. Her supporters maintain that her comments are not being read in their entirety as she also said that BJP will have to prove their strength on the floor of the House.