AAP govt's Jan Lokpal Bill delayed for today

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's office says the bill will be circulated among MLAs on Thursday. Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung has said the bill needs to go to the President first.

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has decided not to table its flagship Jan Lokpal Bill in Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, apparently sensing confrontation with the union government.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's office said the bill will be circulated among MLAs on Thursday and it could be tabled in the legislature on Friday. The government is also planning to make MLAs vote if they agree the Bill should be tabled.

The union law ministry had on Wednesday evening said that it upholds Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung's observation that the bill needs the President's assent before it can be introduced in Vidhan Sabha for discusssion.

The Congress and the BJP have already expressed their support to the Bill on the condition that all "constitutional provisions" are followed in its introduction.

The Congress, which supports the AAP government from the outside, and the opposition BJP have maintained the government would be violating "constitutional provisions" by not taking the approval of the L-G and the Centre before introducing the bill in the House.