Union Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha today. The Bill, which seeks to replace the Centre’s Ordinance on Services, will give the Lieutenant Governor more power in the city’s administration. The Ordinance was promulgated by the President on the 19 of May this year.
According to the revised list of business for Tuesday, Union home minister Amit Shah will introduce the bill, while his deputy Nityanand Rai will make a statement on the reasons for bringing an “immediate legislation” by promulgating the ordinance.
The Delhi services bill aims to replace an ordinance promulgated on May 19 to allow the Centre to retain control over the bureaucracy in Delhi and effectively overrides a May 11 Supreme Court judgment, which handed the charge of the national capital’s bureaucracy to the elected government, excluding departments connected to police, public order and land.
The ordinance has become a new contention between the Opposition parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA.
According to The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, all transfers and postings of senior officers in the Delhi government will be done by a three-member committee headed by the Delhi chief minister.
The National Capital Civil Service Authority shall have the responsibility to recommend the transfers and postings of all Group ‘A’ officers (IAS) and officers of Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officer (DANICS) serving in the Delhi government. It says that this would balance the interest of the nation with the interest of the Union territory of Delhi in the administration of the capital to the manifestation of the will of the people reposed in the central government as well as the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has opposed the ordinance saying the Centre had “deceived” the people of Delhi. “This is an attack on the Supreme Court of India and this is an assault on India’s federal structure, democracy and Constitution,” AAP MP Raghav Chadha said.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said the BJP has a majority in Lok Sabha, and this bill should be passed in the House. “The bill is as per the status of Delhi. If you want to give powers to Delhi, then it should be made a full-fledged state….In my opinion, opposing this bill is wrong,” he said.
Kejriwal met Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday. There was no comment from either side on the details of the meeting that lasted more than half an hour at the Raj Niwas said. Sources told the media that the meeting was “cordial” and the two constitutional functionaries discussed issues related to Delhi.
The Opposition parties, which formed the INDIA alliance last month, have been protesting since the beginning of the session to seek the Prime Minister’s statement on Manipur, is likely to halt its protests on Manipur to focus on the Delhi bill.