An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation led by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday to complain against "illegal" appointments of parliamentary secretaries in BJP ruled states, including Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. They demanded their disqualification.
The move was made after a notice from the Election Commission of India to party's 21 MLAs, whose appointment as parliamentary secretaries was quashed by the Delhi High Court. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked 21 AAP legislators to reply on or before October 17 as to why they should not be disqualified from the assembly after their appointment as parliamentary secretaries.
The delegation which met the President included senior leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Gopal Rai and Kapil Mishra. Last year, the President had rejected a Delhi government bill which sought exclusion of post of parliamentary secretary from 'office of profit' definition.
"These parliamentary secretaries are getting salaries, allotted VIP vehicles and other perks, for which ministers in these states are entitled. These parliamentary secretaries are given the rank of deputy minister, which implies that these MLAs hold an office of profit," Sisodia told reporters after the meeting. Soon after taking over in February 2015, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's government appointed 21 party MLAs as parliamentary secretaries, stating that it would facilitate smooth functioning of the government and would not be a burden on the exchequer.
![]( "Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodiya along with other AAP leaders talking to the media after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday. PTI Photo")
An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation led by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday to complain against "illegal” appointments of parliamentary secretaries in BJP ruled states, including Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. They demanded their disqualification.
The move was made after a notice from the Election Commission of India to party’s 21 MLAs, whose appointment as parliamentary secretaries was quashed by the Delhi High Court. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked 21 AAP legislators to reply on or before October 17 as to why they should not be disqualified from the assembly after their appointment as parliamentary secretaries.
The delegation which met the President included senior leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Gopal Rai and Kapil Mishra. Last year, the President had rejected a Delhi government bill which sought exclusion of post of parliamentary secretary from 'office of profit’ definition.
"These parliamentary secretaries are getting salaries, allotted VIP vehicles and other perks, for which ministers in these states are entitled. These parliamentary secretaries are given the rank of deputy minister, which implies that these MLAs hold an office of profit," Sisodia told reporters after the meeting. Soon after taking over in February 2015, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government appointed 21 party MLAs as parliamentary secretaries, stating that it would facilitate smooth functioning of the government and would not be a burden on the exchequer.
The move was made after a notice from the Election Commission of India to party's 21 MLAs, whose appointment as parliamentary secretaries was quashed by the Delhi High Court. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked 21 AAP legislators to reply on or before October 17 as to why they should not be disqualified from the assembly after their appointment as parliamentary secretaries.
The delegation which met the President included senior leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Gopal Rai and Kapil Mishra. Last year, the President had rejected a Delhi government bill which sought exclusion of post of parliamentary secretary from 'office of profit' definition.
"These parliamentary secretaries are getting salaries, allotted VIP vehicles and other perks, for which ministers in these states are entitled. These parliamentary secretaries are given the rank of deputy minister, which implies that these MLAs hold an office of profit," Sisodia told reporters after the meeting. Soon after taking over in February 2015, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's government appointed 21 party MLAs as parliamentary secretaries, stating that it would facilitate smooth functioning of the government and would not be a burden on the exchequer.
An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation led by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday to complain against "illegal” appointments of parliamentary secretaries in BJP ruled states, including Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. They demanded their disqualification.The move was made after a notice from the Election Commission of India to party’s 21 MLAs, whose appointment as parliamentary secretaries was quashed by the Delhi High Court. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked 21 AAP legislators to reply on or before October 17 as to why they should not be disqualified from the assembly after their appointment as parliamentary secretaries.
The delegation which met the President included senior leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Gopal Rai and Kapil Mishra. Last year, the President had rejected a Delhi government bill which sought exclusion of post of parliamentary secretary from 'office of profit’ definition.
"These parliamentary secretaries are getting salaries, allotted VIP vehicles and other perks, for which ministers in these states are entitled. These parliamentary secretaries are given the rank of deputy minister, which implies that these MLAs hold an office of profit," Sisodia told reporters after the meeting. Soon after taking over in February 2015, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government appointed 21 party MLAs as parliamentary secretaries, stating that it would facilitate smooth functioning of the government and would not be a burden on the exchequer.