BJP MP takes swipe at CM Arvind Kejriwal over bill on Lieutenant Governor powers

New Delhi, Mar 22: Underlining that Delhi is the seat of the central government, BJP MP Brijendra Singh on Monday took a swipe at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said according full statehood to the national capital during the rule of an anarchist would have resulted in a civil war.

Speaking on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, Singh said Delhi was made a union territory not because of dispute between two states like Chandigarh, or colonial legacy like Puducherry or its strategic importance like Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Delhi was made a UT as it was the national capital and belongs to the entire country and being capital its primary responsibility lies with the Centre. The bill seeks to make it clear that the "government" in the national capital means the "Lieutenant Governor" (L-G).

Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has vehemently opposed the bill. Supporting the bill, Singh, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, said it ends the ambiguity in distribution of powers between the L-G and the government.

"Since Lieutenant Governor already has the power to withhold the approval of any legislation, then it will be better if permission is sought from him before bringing any legislation," Singh said.

Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, he said Congress leader Sheila Dikshit was chief minister during the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and similarly the BJP was in power in Delhi during the Congress rule at the Centre, but such a situation of constitutional breakdown did not arise then.

According full statehood to the national capital during the rule of an anarchist would have resulted in a civil war, he alleged. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday.

It was introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy last week. According to the bill, the "government" in the city would mean the "Lieutenant Governor" (L-G) in context of any law made by the legislative assembly. The bill also makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action.