Both Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee and Delhi Pradesh BJP in their respective regimes raised a demand for full statehood for the NCT region. All they got was a state assembly (in place of metropolitan council). Police (law and order), land and urban development, and services ( of IAS officers) continued to remain with the Centre.

The Centre’s argument has been that law and order, land and civil services cannot be shared with any other agency in Delhi because of its being the seat of national capital. Two power centres , it was argued , could play havoc if opposing political dispensations ruled the Centre and the NCT region. The same argument was put forward in Supreme Court recently when Arvind Kejriwal approached the apex court for defining his government’s authority vis-a-vis the Centre.

So why is Kejriwal making it a political issue now? Indeed, the Delhi CM will be putting his stakes in jeopardy if he goes hammering this issue beyond a point. For, Delhi’s present status is a fait accompli whatever the provocations. If Kejriwal thinks he will make a political capital out of this demand, he is mistaken. Delhi public has gone through this for several years. Raking it up again will be foolhardy.

Kejriwal, instead, will be doing well to demand higher resources for Delhi so that he could further improve its infrastructure like hospitals, roads, schools, among others. He can rest assure that voters will vote for him in the Assembly elections whenever they are held. Voters could be with him for Parliament if he raises right issues.

Pertinently, both Kejriwal’s AAP and the Congress are likely to suffer by contesting separately in Delhi. The obvious gainer will be the BJP. Congress high command has publicly announced that it will have no tie up with AAP in Delhi. AAP sources, however, maintain that top leaders of both parties are still in touch with each other, indicating a possible tie up. Senior Congress leaders ,though, have no qualms in admitting that it is all but over.

Congress leaders in the know of things say the party cannot have any truck with AAP because of its wider ramifications in the adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana. AAP is aiming at contesting polls in both states in a big way. Obviously, Congress is in no position to cede any space to AAP in these two states. It will be difficult to tie up in Delhi and not in Punjab and Haryana.

What is keeping AAP leaders hopeful is the fact that there is still time to negotiate a settlement with the Congress, polls being two months away. Delhi goes for Polls on May 12.