The Delhi Services Bill was passed on August 7 by the Rajya Sabha, a big win for India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it gives the central government control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government. Earlier, the bill was passed in Loksabha. The legislation, formally known as the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to replace an ordinance on the handling of transfers and postings of officials in the Delhi government. With the President’s assent, the bill will become law.
Ahead of the no-confidence motion the ruling BJP swiftly managed to pass the bill in both the houses. The Bill was passed after House members voted in support with 131 in favour and 102 against. The primary aim of the Delhi Services Bill, according to Home Minister Amit Shah, is to ensure a “corruption-free governance”.
While presenting the motion in the house, the Home Minister slammed the opposition on multiple notes. The biggest of all was how Congress takes orders from China.
Orders from China
Addressing allegations made by opposition parties that the BJP takes instructions from Nagpur, the headquarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Shah said, “Just for the sake of the argument, I agree that we take instructions from Nagpur. But at least Nagpur is a part of India. We don’t take instructions from Russia or China.”
Congress and democracy
“We are not bringing Constitutional amendments to bring ‘Emergency’ in this country, nor have we brought the change in the constitution to uphold the post of Prime Minister like the then PM (Indira Gandhi)” he added, and upon uproar by the Congress MPs, he said, “The Congress has no right to speak on democracy”.
AAP’s Sheeshmahal
In his final remarks on the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, Shah said the bill aimed to ensure there was a “corruption-free administration in Delhi” and it doesn’t violate the Supreme Court order. He asserted that the Delhi services bill was brought not to usurp the powers of the Delhi government, but to stop encroachment on the Centre’s right by it.
“Earlier, there were no fights over transfer postings in Delhi, no CMs had any problems… In 2015, a government came up after an ‘andolan’… Some people said that the Centre wants to take power into its hands. The Centre doesn’t need to do so as the people of India have given us the power and the right,” the Union Home Minister said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
AAP’s Liquor scam
He also claimed that the AAP government in Delhi transferred officers to the vigilance department as liquor scam files were with it. “After SC ruling, AAP government ordered immediate transfers in vigilance dept as it was probing scams, including in CM house renovation,” he remarked.
‘Kejriwal will leave you, Kharge Ji’
Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a swipe at the Congress and said that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will quit the opposition bloc INDIA once the Delhi services bill is passed. “The AAP was born after opposing Congress. They (AAP) used almost three tons of offensive words against Congress and came into existence. And today they are seeking support from Congress to oppose this bill. The moment this bill will be passed, Arvind Kejriwal ji will go back,” he commented.
Birds of a feather flock together
He further questioned the Opposition alliance saying, “In Kerala Congress and the Communists are baying for each other’s blood but now have come together. Similarly, JD(U) whose politics was against the fodder scam has now joined hands with Lalu Prasad’s RJD.” It won’t matter even if more parties join the INDIA bloc, Narendra Modi will again become PM in 2024, he added.
“Earlier, there were no fights over transfer postings in Delhi, no CMs had any problems…In 2015, a govt came up after an ‘andolan’…Some people said that the Centre wants to take power into its hands. The Centre doesn’t need to do so as the people of India have given us the power and the right….,” he said.
Referring to the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, the Home Minister targeted Congress over joining hands with AAP and said the Congress was opposing the bill which was in consonance with the law it had enacted.
“If you have a conscience, You will support the bill but you want to save the alliance,” Amit Shah said.
The Home Minister said AAP was born to oppose the Congress and it will continue to do so. He also targeted parties in the I.N.D.I.A. alliance over their competing electoral interests and said Narendra Modi will return as Prime Minister in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Nehru’s vision
Amit Shah invoked Jawaharlal Nehru in the Lok Sabha to defend the Delhi Services Bill. He said, “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajaji (C Rajagopalachari), Rajendra Prasad, and BR Ambedkar were against the idea of Delhi being given the status of full statehood.”
Bill does not violate SC’s judgment
Home Minister Amit Shah said on August 7 that the bill on Delhi services to replace the ordinance does not violate the judgment of the Supreme Court and rejected allegations that the bill is unconstitutional.
Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Amit Shah took a dig at the Congress over the emergency imposed in 1975 and said it has no right to speak on democracy.
“The bill doesn’t violate the Supreme Court order…The aim is to make sure corruption-free administration in Delhi,” Amit Shah said.
Attacking Aam Aadmi Party, Amit Shah said that there were BJP and Congress governments in Delhi earlier and there was no dispute over sharing of power.
The Bill seeks to replace the ordinance brought by the Centre in May this year, days after the Supreme Court judgment on the control of services in Delhi.
Why is the opposition against it?
Reacting to the debate over Delhi Services Bill, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged that “blatant subversion of the constitutional separation of powers” is happening through the bill. He added that the country is now seeing “coercive federalism”.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor argued that the proposed bill is a representation of a “grave chapter in the history of the Indian republic, seeking to ratify an ordinance that in many ways is an assault on our democratic heritage and the spirit of federalism”.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the bill is trying to snatch an elected government’s power which is unconstitutional.
“Snatching the powers of the elected government of Delhi is unconstitutional. It is against the Constitution to snatch the powers of an elected government, whichever party is in power,” said Chowdhury, while speaking to media outside Parliament.
Delhi CM Kejriwal, sharply reacting to the debate, tweeted, “BJP always promised to give full statehood to Delhi. In 2014, Modi himself said that on becoming prime minister, he would give full statehood to Delhi. But today these people stabbed the people of Delhi in the back. Don’t believe anything said by Modi ji from now on.”
What happened earlier?
The bill was passed by Lok Sabha last week. The ordinance was promulgated by the central government on May 19, a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected government, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The Delhi government had approached the Supreme Court for a stay on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated on May 19.
However, the Supreme Court last month refused to grant an interim stay on the Centre’s ordinance. It referred the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, to a Constitution bench.
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