BJP-led Central govt wants to rule Delhi through back door: Sisodia

He was reaction to the Centre’s move to approve a proposal to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act to give more power to the lieutenant governor, who reports to the Central government

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday slammed the Centre for “stealthily” approving a proposal to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act to give more power to the lieutenant governor, who reports to the Central government.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. (File photo)

Addressing a digital press conference, Sisodia said the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal to “snatch powers” from the elected chief minister and the Delhi Cabinet and strengthen the authority of the lieutenant governor. A bill will now be tabled in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament for the amendment, he said.

The move is set to trigger a fresh tussle between the lieutenant governor and the Delhi government.

“The Union Cabinet has stealthily approved amendments to give so much power to the L-G [lieutenant governor] that he can now stall any project or work initiated by the elected government in the Union Territory. As per the Centre’s proposal, the final decision-making power will lie with the L-G and not the elected government,” he said.

Sisodia warned if this legislation is passed, then all subsidies would be taken away from the people of Delhi by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “This is nothing but a back door channel being created by the BJP-ruled Central government to directly rule Delhi. If this happens then all the freebies and subsidies given by the AAP [Aam Aadmi Party] government will be snatched away. The BJP-led Centre will revoke our free power, water and bus ride for women scheme. It will also revoke the free treatment in Delhi government hospitals which every resident of the city is entitled to,” he said.

Sisodia said giving such powers to the L-G means giving it to the BJP-ruled Central government to rule Delhi.

“The Centre’s attempt to reduce the powers of an elected government is not just against democracy but it is also against our Constitution. The Constitution of India clearly states that barring three subjects - police, land and public order - all other subjects and works will be under the direct control of the elected government which currently is that of Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP,” he said.

Sisodia said in 2015, the BJP-led Central government misinterpreted the Constitutional rule to say that the L-G would run the Delhi government. “...when we went to the Supreme Court to challenge this, the constitution bench of the Apex court clarified that the elected government in Delhi had the right to make decisions on all decisions except the three subjects. The SC had stated that the L-G will only have to be informed about the Delhi government’s day-to-day decisions,” he said.

“Now that it has no way out, the BJP-ruled Central government is now keeping aside and overlooking the Constitution and the observations of the SC to directly rule Delhi.”