New Delhi: An enormous setback for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday (March 28, 2021) gave assent to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2021.
The Bill says ‘authorities’ within the NCT of Delhi means ‘Lieutenant Governor’ and enhances the powers of the Delhi L-G. The Houses of the Parliament, notably, had handed the invoice final week. It was cleared in Lok Sabha on March 22 and Rajya Sabha on March 24.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi has been in opposition to the Bill and its chief Arvind Kejriwal referred to as it Bharatiya Janata Party’s assault on democracy and federalism. Delhi CM took to his official Twitter account and whereas replying to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan (who additionally opposed the Bill) stated, “Thank you Pinarayi Vijayan Ji for supporting the people of Delhi against BJP’s assault on democracy and federalism.”
Vijayan had expressed, “Govt of NCT of Delhi (And) Bill is an affront to our federal principles and rights of States. Restriction of the constitutional authority of democratically elected State Govts and violation of Supreme Court’s verdicts should be resisted. BJP has colonial a mindset.”
Thank you @vijayanpinarayi ji for supporting the folks of Delhi in opposition to BJP’s assault on democracy and federalism. https://t.co/BFgARJyo0o
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 28, 2021
However, the Centre, alternatively, has maintained that the Bill is in step with the Supreme Court’s July 2018 ruling on the ambit of powers of the L-G and the Delhi authorities after a sequence of run-ins between the 2.
Earlier in July 2018, the Supreme Court had dominated that the Lieutenant Governor can not intervene in each choice of the Delhi authorities and that he should act on support and recommendation of the council of ministers.
(With inputs from companies)
