#DelhiOrdinanceBill : Amidst Strong Opposition Protest ; Amit Shah Tables Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Picture Credit : Sansad TV

The Union government has tabled a contentious bill in Lok Sabha to replace the Delhi services ordinance amid vociferous protests by opposition members, who termed it a “murder of democracy”, evoking a sharp retort of “politically motivated” jibe from Home Minister Amit Shah.
As per ANI, The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 will come in Lok Sabha tomorrow, 2nd August for consideration and passing.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which gives the Delhi Lieutenant Governor a final say on the transfer and posting of officials of the city government, will strengthen the Central government’s control over the national capital. Tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, the Bill seeks to reverse the effect of the Supreme Court verdict in May that gave the Delhi government control over administrative services. Rai said he was “tabling the Bill on behalf of Shah.”

Opposition members including Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the bill was an “outrageous infringement” of the powers of the Delhi government while Trinamool member Saugata Ray asserted that the Bill was brought to overturn the Supreme Court order that granted Delhi government the authority to transfer and appoint Group-A officers in the national capital.

The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.

As the opposition leaders stormed the well and tore papers and raised objections over the introduction of the Bill, Shah said,”Our Constitution allows the Parliament to make laws for Delhi. Any opposition to this bill has no constitutional basis and is politically motivated. There is no reason for the opposition to cite parliamentary procedure.” Shah said Article 239AA of the Constitution granted Parliament the powers to make laws for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD).

AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha said the bill is even worse than the previous ordinance and more against “our democracy, the Constitution, and the people of Delhi”.

Terming the bill the most “undemocratic, illegal piece of paper ever tabled in Parliament”, he said it essentially snatches all powers from the elected government of Delhi and replaces democracy in Delhi with “babucracy” and will give overriding powers to Lt Governor.

In the Lok Sabha, while Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, BJD, AIMIM members spoke on the Bill, the Aam Aadmi Party’s lone Lok Sabha member Sushil Kumar Rinku was heard complaining to the Speaker that he was not given a chance to speak.