Amid Political Row, Kejriwal's AAP Govt Calls Special Session of Delhi Assembly

Special session of Delhi legislative assembly is scheduled at 11 am on Friday, 26 August.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh addressing a press conference, at the party office in New Delhi, on Wednesday, 24 August.

(Photo: PTI/Kamal Singh)

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has called for a special session of Legislative Assembly on Friday, 26 August, amid a political row concerning central agencies probing Delhi government's excise policy and AAP alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to topple the Delhi government.

The assembly is scheduled to convene at 11 am on Friday. AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal has also called meeting of all MLAs on Thursday, 25 August at 11 am to decide party's strategy.

This comes after AAP's political affairs committee held a meeting on Wednesday, 24 August. In the meeting at Kejriwal's residence, the party chief said the BJP's attempt to "topple" his government was a "serious issue".

Earlier in the day, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that party MLAs in Delhi received threats from BJP leaders, who told them that if they didn't accept Rs 20 crore and resign from the AAP, they would face the same fate as Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

Earlier this week, Manish Sisodia claimed that the BJP in its attempt to topple Delhi government, offered to make him the Delhi CCM and drop all cases against him if he joined the BJP and broke the AAP.

‘We Assure People That Govt in Delhi Is Stable': AAP MP Sanjay Singh

While addressing the media after the meeting AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that the PAC in its resolution demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spend time on addressing problems of the people instead of making efforts to topple the governments of other parties.

"We want to assure the people that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi is stable. None of our MLAs are going to switch sides and join the BJP," Singh told reporters.

What's the Case Against Sisodia?

The FIR stated that Sisodia, then Delhi Excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, and two other senior excise department officials were "instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post-tender."

The central probe agency also raided around 20 other locations in Delhi-NCR, including the premises of Arava Gopi Krishna. The CBI inquiry was recommended in a report filed by the Delhi chief secretary in July.

The report allegedly showed prima facie violations of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 1992, the Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR), 1993, Delhi Excise Act, 2009, and the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010.