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Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashutosh on Friday, 19 January, slammed the Election Commission's purported recommendation to the President to disqualify 20 party MLAs, who allegedly held offices of profit, calling the move "unconstitutional" and "undemocratic.”
Speaking to The Quint, Ashutosh said:
The AAP leader accused the Election Commission of not even bothering to know the AAP MLAs' side and arguments. "So, how can it make such a decision?" he asked.
Ashutosh expressed confidence that the court would give justice to the party. He also slammed the election body in a series of tweets.
In its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday, 19 January, the Election Commission said that the MLAs, being parliamentary secretaries, held offices of profit and were liable to be disqualified as members of the Delhi Assembly, highly-placed sources had told PTI.
According to PTI, the President is bound to go by the recommendation of the Commission.
When contacted earlier in the day, Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti had said since the matter is sub judice, he would not offer any comment on the issue, PTI further reported.
Meanwhile, both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the AAP after the development. Congress leader Ajay Maken asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to resign, saying he "does not have the moral right to stay on in his post".
The Delhi BJP welcomed the decision of the EC's purported recommendation.
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