The bill was approved after two days of chaos in the Upper House.
New Delhi:
A controversial bill proposing to grant more powers to the Deputy Governor of Delhi, the Center’s representative, compared to the city’s elected government, was approved today by the Rajya Sabha amid a strike by Congress and several other opposition parties. , including the ruling Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi. . The bill is seen as a major setback for the government of Arvind Kejriwal, which has been arguing with the lieutenant governor since he first came to power in the national capital in 2013.
The Delhi National Capital Territory Government (Amendment) bill makes it clear that the term “government” in Delhi means the Lieutenant Governor and his opinion must be taken before the Delhi government takes any executive action.
Kejriwal, in a tweet, said: “RS passes the GNCTD amendment bill. It is a sad day for Indian democracy. We will continue our fight to restore power to the people. Whatever the obstacles, we will continue to do a good job. The work will not stop or slow down. “
RS passes the GNCTD amendment bill. Sad day for Indian democracy
We will continue our fight to return power to the people.
Whatever the obstacles, we will continue to do a good job. Work will not stop or slow down.
– Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 24, 2021
The bill was approved after two days of chaos in the Upper House, where opposition MPs repeatedly said it will destroy democracy. The opposition has been demanding that the bill be sent to a Select Committee.
Today, the legislation was passed in Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The opposition had sought a division when the government presented the bill for consideration. During the vote, 83 members were in favor while 45 opposed the bill. Just before the bill was passed, Congress also withdrew.
“The way Draupadi’s clothes were ripped off (in Mahabharat), the Constitution is getting the same treatment,” said Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, who previously said that the BJP introduced the bill because it lost the elections to the assembly in Delhi twice.
“The country’s Constitution is being changed without any constitutional amendment,” Singh said, noting that the administration system in Delhi, as it stands today, was established after 69 constitutional amendments.
A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in parliament, not a simple majority, for which the BJP lacks numbers in the Upper House.
The AAP government has regularly accused the BJP of attempting to rule Delhi by proxy through the lieutenant governor.
Most opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena, the ruling Andhra Pradesh YSR Congress, and Akali Dal had opposed the bill. The YSR Congress had withdrawn today amid the debate.
AAP said that the bill will not be accepted by the people and that there will be protests, as will protests by farmers. He also said that one of the key reasons the bill was introduced was Kejriwal’s support for protesting farmers.
“Two million people elected the government. What is our crime? This was all done because Kejriwal did not imprison the farmers when they arrived in Delhi. The bill should be canceled,” Singh said.
In response to the debate, the Union Minister of State for the Interior, G Kishan Reddy, tried to respond to opposition concerns. The amendments, he said, have been introduced to remove ambiguities in the 1991 Act and the changes were made in the spirit of a Supreme Court ruling. Previously, the Supreme Court had ruled that the Delhi government did not need to obtain the “consent” of the Lieutenant Governor on all matters of day-to-day governance.
The amendments to the Act would create a strong government mechanism in Delhi, he said, by bringing transparency and clarity, fairness and inclusion, and enhancing accountability.
.
