New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) The ruling AAP is likely to target the Centre over the appointment of the new Delhi Police Commissioner on the first day of the Monsoon session of the legislative assembly here on Thursday.

On its part, an outnumbered opposition BJP is seeking to raise issues like power and water supply, drainage and the "failure" of the healthcare system in the city during the second COVID-19 wave.

The Centre on Tuesday appointed Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police commissioner, giving him a one-year extension on the new post days before his retirement.

As per the List Business for House sitting on Thursday, AAP MLA Sanjiv Jha will initiate a short duration discussion on the "appointment of Delhi Police Commissioner in violation of Supreme Court directions."

Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer, was serving as the director-general of the Border Security Force and was due to retire on July 31.

This is one of the very few instances when an IPS officer outside of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre has been appointed as the Delhi Police chief.

Questioning the inter-cadre appointment, Aam Aadmi party sources that the new police commissioner should have been appointed on merit and not based on how "well-connected" the officer is in the Centre.

They claimed that Asthana lacked the experience for such a responsibility and questioned why the decision to appoint him was taken just days before he was due to retire.

The AAP is also likely to raise the issue of farmers' protest over MSP in the session.

AAP MLA Bhavna Gaur will table a motion for conferring Bharat Ratna on late environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, a demand earlier raised by Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

With an eye on Punjab Assembly polls next year, the AAP, which is the main opposition in that state, aims to focus on farmers' protest on Delhi borders against the Centre's agri laws since November last year.

"The farmers' issues will be the focus, especially fixing minimum support price of crops would be a major issue. Also, issues related to the ongoing farmers' protest would be brought up," said a senior AAP leader.

The matter of appointment of special prosecutors proposed by Delhi Police in cases related to farmers' protest is also likely to be a major focus, he said.

Kejriwal government has stiffly resisted the Lieutenant Governor's move of rejecting its proposal for appointing special prosecutors in farmers' protest cases, instead of those recommended by the Delhi Police. The LG has referred the matter to the President for his consideration.

The second part of the second session of the Seventh Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi will begin at 11 AM on Thursday, an Assembly official said.

The AAP legislators said they will also raise the issue of the "failure" of BJP-ruled MCDs in preventing waterlogging and maintaining drains.

The BJP has said that it will raise issues of public interest and demanded that Speaker Ram Niwas Goel extend the session from two days to at least five days.

The BJP MLAs on Tuesday met Goel demanding five sittings of the Monsoon session and sought his support for raising issues of public interest.

"The BJP MLAs have given notices for discussions under Rule 55 on important issues impacting the people of Delhi.

"Delhi is currently faced with a severe water crisis, shortage of school teachers, overaged bus fleet of DTC, uncleaned big drains leading to water logging, a healthcare system that failed during COVID second wave," Leader of the Opposition Ramvir Bidhuri had said.

The BJP has eight MLAs in the 70 member Assembly dominated by the ruling AAP that has 62 members in the House.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)