Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (R) with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia (PTI photo)
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly written to Delhi's Urban Development Department to explore how a Greece-style referendum can be held in the capital on the issue of full statehood.
In the note sent last month, sources said, Mr Kejriwal sought a feasibility report on how the capital's people can be asked to vote on whether Delhi should be accorded full statehood and has also discussed it with his ministers.
"Referendum for statehood is necessary," said AAP's Ashish Khaitan today.
Delhi is not a full state and some crucial functions like policing are under the Centre's control. This has had Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party or AAP government in constant confrontation with the capital's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who represents the Centre.
Over the last few months Mr Kejriwal and Mr Jung have frequently clashed over key appointments and often thrown the rule book at each other.
Full statehood for Delhi was one of the key poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party for the February assembly elections, which it resoundingly won. The BJP was reduced to just three seats in a 70-member house and Mr Kejriwal alleges that it is exacting political revenge by using its powers at the Centre to interfere with governance in Delhi.
The BJP too has favoured full statehood for Delhi in the past, but dropped the demand from its manifesto for this year's election, prompting AAP to allege that it had done so because it feared a Kejriwal victory.
Soon after his victory, Mr Kejriwal had sought appointments with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, reportedly to discuss full statehood.
The Congress' Ajay Maken today said his party does not support a referendum and attacked Mr Kejriwal. "The entire idea is against the constitution...Statehood idea is a very dangerous idea Kejriwal ji has given...this idea is not only anti-constitutional but also anti-national," he said
The Congress, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years till the 2013 elections threw up a hung House, won no seat in the elections held this year.