SINGHVI CALLS DELHI BILL ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’, AN ACT OF ‘COERCIVE FEDERALISM’

Mounting a spirited attack against the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Bill 2021 in the Upper House of Parliament on Wednesday, Congress Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal Abhishek Manu Singhvi called it an “unconstitutional bill” and an act of “coercive federalism” by the Central government.

“This is the most unconstitutional bill that has ever been introduced in the history of this house and this goes against the fundamental principle of federalism. This is not about the Aam Aadmi Party, the TMC or the Congress; this is about upholding the principles of federalism,” Dr Singhvi said while debating the GNCTD Bill 2021 in the Rajya Sabha.

The Central government introduced the GNCTD Amendment Bill 2021 in the Parliament earlier this week, aiming to change the “working” of the Delhi government. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday. This bill was then taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha today. This bill, as many opposition parties claim, will vest more powers in the hands of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi than the elected government.

Dr Singhvi, during the debate on the bill in the Upper House of the Parliament, said, “It is an attempt to make the Delhi government a puppet in the hands of the LG of Delhi. Through this bill, even for an executive decision made by the elected government, it would need the permission of the LG of Delhi, making the Delhi government impotent.”

Dr Singhvi, while arguing for his case in Parliament, also reminded the Treasury bench of the ‘magnanimity’ of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his concern for federal structure. He also said that this bill is against the judgement of the Supreme Court’s five-judge constitutional bench that had upheld the powers of the elected government over the LG of Delhi.