New National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill will obstruct good work done by govt: Manish Sisodia
New Delhi: Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre brought in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to “counter the rising popularity of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal” and to obstruct the “good work” by his government in the Capital
New Delhi: Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre brought in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to “counter the rising popularity of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal” and to obstruct the “good work” by his government in the Capital.
The controversial bill, which effectively hands executive powers to the lieutenant-governor (L-G) from the city-state’s government and legislative assembly, cleared Parliament on Wednesday after the Rajya Sabha passed it with an 83-45 vote amid a walkout by Opposition parties. The Lok Sabha passed the bill on Monday.
“The bill that was passed yesterday shows how the Modi government was feeling insecure because of the popularity of Arvind Kejriwal and of the work done by his government. Today, people are saying that Kejriwalji can be an alternative to Modiji... This bill has been brought in to stop Arvind Kejriwal’s rise,” Sisodia said at a press conference.
The bill says that “government” in Delhi will now refer to the L-G in the context of all laws passed in the Capital, and that the opinion of the L-G will be mandatory before any executive action. It also bars the state assembly from forming any committees to examine the day-to-day administration of Delhi.
Sisodia said the Delhi government was in touch with legal experts to decide on their course of action. Till then, he said, the AAP plans to attack the BJP “politically”.
He told reporters that the BJP was indulging in negative politics and accused it of “theft and cheating” to take administrative control of a state where it had twice been defeated in the assembly elections.
“The BJP has no model to counter the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) governance in Delhi. Despite the fact that they run the government at the Centre and in several states, they are afraid of the Kejriwal model because people are asking why BJP-ruled states can’t provide free water and cheaper electricity like Delhi,” he said.
“Across India, the demand for Kejriwal’s model of governance is increasing, which can be seen in the recent panchayat and municipality elections in several BJP-ruled states in the country. Kejriwal has a vision of development, which is now posing a challenge to the BJP. For the last six years, they have tried many things. But Kejriwal is a fighter. He has always come back stronger. He will fight back,” he said.
Sisodia was referring to the AAP’s performance in the Surat municipal polls in Gujarat, where it won 27 seats, and the party’s electoral gains in panchayat elections in Maharashtra, where it won 145 of the 300 seats it contested, and in Himachal Pradesh, where it came out on top in 36 of the 40 seats it fought.
The BJP did not comment on Sisodia’s claims.
Sisodia also accused the Centre of obstructing the government’s doorstep ration delivery scheme. The scheme was to be rolled out from Thursday was stalled after the Union food and public distribution ministry raised objections to Delhi government giving a new name, ‘Mukhyamantri ghar ghar ration yojana’, and amending the ways of delivery, which the ministry said was in violation of the provisions of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
After Parliament cleared the NCT Bill, Kejriwal on Wednesday said it was a “sad day for Indian democracy.”
“RS passes GNCTD amendment Bill. Sad day for Indian democracy. We will continue our struggle to restore power back to people. Whatever be the obstacles, we will continue doing good work. Work will neither stop nor slow down,” he tweeted.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta welcomed the passing of the BIll on Wednesday and said that it will help improve the administrative system in Delhi. “During last few years, the Kejriwal government, by bringing unconstitutional bills in Delhi assembly, has hurt the image of the national capital. Now, all Bills will be vetted before being tabled in the assembly,” Gupta said.
Delhi Congress vice-president Abhishek Dutt said the Congress has been opposing the GNCTD bill even when Kejriwal did not raise the matter.
“For almost 55 days ever since the amendments were first approved by the Union cabinet, Kejriwal did not utter a word on the matter until a few days ago. It was the Congress which repeatedly raised the issue. In all these years Kejriwal has become the B-Team of the BJP by even running a campaign during the recent elections that there should be Modi as PM and Kejriwal as CM in Delhi. Now, the AAP and Kejriwal might be regretting the choices they made, “ he said.
PDT Achary, former secretary general of Lok Sabha said going by the Supreme Court judgement of 2018, the government can only mean the elected government. “The Bill does not only overturn the SC’s verdict but also defies the Constitution. It is now to be seen how this plays out in reality once it becomes a law after the gazette notification,” he said.
