The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to oppose the Centre government’s move to introduce the National Capital Territory Bill that gives overarching power to the Lieutenant Governor. All Cabinet ministers, MLAs, party MPs and councillors participated in the demonstration, which was led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Kejriwal said, “We will do everything at our outset to protect people’s right at New Delhi. For people snd its work, we can fold hands, plead and even touch feet of the Centre and if needed.”
The Central Government on Monday introduced The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to give more powers to LG, curtailing the rights of the Chief Minister.
The bill has further created a rift between AAP and the BJP at the Centre. On one hand, AAP believes that this bill will snatch the power of the elected State government, which the BJP is of the view that this bill will accelerate the development rate as this bill will bridge Centre and state government.
Kejriwal said, “According to this bill, LG is the governing body in Delhi, if this is what it means, what is the Aam Aadmi party then? What we will be doing? What would the Chief Minister of Delhi do? What are they trying to do, mock people? This is a complete fraud.”
“Delhi government is becoming the model for the rest of the Country very rapidly for their developmental work, and people are demanding that the same model should be applied in each state”
Chief Minister of Delhi said, “If BJP wanted Delhi to be ruled by a governor, why there were assembly elections, they only want to deceit the public with falsification.”
Targeting BJP on the work they had done so far he said, “They have not done anything in the name of development, by bringing this bill they want to stop us from doing what AAP is doing all these years for the development of Delhi and its people.”
He concluded his address by saying, “We have conquered people’s heart by our good work, they want to end this work, but we will not let them do any such thing. We will fight back, for Delhi, for the people of Delhi, as we have been doing for a long time now.”
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act of 1991 is now amended and brought in as The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 by Bhartiya Janata Party.
In 2017, there was a scuffle between AAP and BJP over the power of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi Government.
The bill has been brought in the context of a Supreme Court Judgment of February 14, 2019, which stated that the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Delhi Government cannot interfere in the Centre Government’s work and cannot investigate their employees. Supreme Court in that order also ruled that an enquiry commission could intervene and investigate the matters of the Delhi Government.
The current NCT bill proposes that LG will possess more power in Delhi than earlier, which can simultaneously limit the power of the Chief Minister sitting in the National Capital.
The bill says that all the documents related to any scheme or policy of AAP will first go through the office of Lieutenant Governor to get legislative approval. It means that the Delhi Government must take opinion from LG before doing anything in the National Capital.
It also says that it completely depends upon LG to present the bill to the centre/President or not, at the same time LG can take a direct decision on any matter if he/she consider taking it immediately even if the matter is pending with the Government.
However, in 2018, AAP managed to get this power in their hands. Supreme Court held that Delhi did not require to approach or get approval from LG for any of their work.
The present proposed bill grants all the powers to LG overruling Chief Minister and matters related to All India Civil Services and Anti-Corruption Bureau, it strictly proposes that any decision taken by LG shall not be questioned.
Education Minister of AAP, Manish Sisodia said, “BJP cannot match the work done by AAP, so they have amended this bill to curtail our power and wants us to deviate from our work.”
Recalling the work done by AAP in the education, electricity and healthcare sector he said, “We have done unimaginable work in these sectors; BJP doesn’t have anything to offer to people to appease votes, that is how they are trying to deceit public and AAP”. He further said that that they will keep working on the same lines.
Chief Minister urged the Centre to repeal the NCT bill and let them work for the development of the State. He also suggested them to adopt and implement the same model of development in other States.
Ironically, the AAP had supported the Centre’s controversial move to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir in 2019 and divide it into two union territories.
National Conference leader and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday extended his support to the Delhi government despite the AAP supporting the abrogation of Article 370.
