Rajya Sabha to discuss tomorrow bill to give more power to Delhi L-G
Mar 23, 2021
New Delhi [India], March 23 : The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday is scheduled to hold a discussion on a bill that seeks to give the Centre more power over Delhi.
On Tuesday, the House witnessed repeated brief adjournments during the day following an uproar by opposition parties over the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that Rajya Sabha will sit from 10 am tomorrow and would discuss the bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha.
There would be no Zero Hour, Question Hour and Lunch Hour, he added.
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said the Bill will snatch democratic rights of elected government and Union Territories.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh had written to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu opposing the introduction of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Upper House, saying the bill violates the provisions of the Constitution of India.
The bill seeks to amend National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991.
The statement of objects and reasons of the bill stated that the bill seeks to clarify the expression "Government", which in the context of legislation to be passed by the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, shall mean the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, consistent with the status of Delhi as a Union territory to address the ambiguities in the interpretation of the legislative provisions.
It says that the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 was enacted to supplement the provisions of the Constitution relating to the Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Section 44 of the Act deals with the conduct of business and "there is no structural mechanism provided in the Act for effective time-bound implementation of the section". "Further, there is no clarity as to what proposal or matters are required to be submitted to Lieutenant Governor," it said.
