Reacting to his disqualification from the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebel MLA Kapil Mishra said that he will approach the High Court against the Speaker’s order. Kapil termed his disqualification illegal and undemocratic, adding that the order was issued by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel at the behest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He said that Kejriwal disqualified him because he campaigned for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.
The disqualification of Kapil Mishra comes six months ahead of the Assembly elections in the national capital. He said that the Speaker’s order will not stand the court’s scrutiny even for a day.
“Kejriwal ji has got the order issued disqualifying me from Assembly because I campaigned for Modi ji in Lok Sabha polls. I will go to High Court against this illegal order,” he said.
Mishra said that when he raised his voice against Kejriwal’s corruption, he was not disqualified, but when he campaigned for PM Modi, he was terminated from the House.
“I liked the fear of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP. Till today, they have not answered a single question. I have always taken stand for the public. You will not be able to stand in front of me in the court, nor in the court of public. I will run a bigger campaign during the Vidhan Sabha elections. 60 seats to PM Modi,” he said in a tweet.
On Friday, Delhi Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel disqualified Kapil Mishra under the anti-defection law, saying his campaigning for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls indicated that he has ‘given up the membership of his original political party’.
According to an order issued by the Speaker, Mishra’s disqualification takes effect from January 27 this year when he shared a stage with Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and the then Union minister Vijay Goel.
The order said that the AAP convener and leader of the legislature party Arvind Kejriwal had in a letter on July 2 stated that the party has no objection to the disqualification of Kapil Mishra, an MLA from Karawal Nagar.
Delhi has seven Lok Sabha seats and 70 assembly constituencies. In the previous Assembly elections held in 2015, the AAP had won 67 seats while in the general elections this year, the party drew a blank.