Delhi assembly goes into special session for Kejriwal’s rights

Normal session next month, HC rules in favour of Delhi CM

GN Bureau | May 26, 2015


#arvind kejriwal   #AAP   #assembly session   #aam aadmi party  


Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is a man in hurry. Delhi assembly, which is slated to meet next month (June) is sitting on a special two-day session from today (Tuesday). The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government convened the emergency session amid a bitter fight between Kejriwal and lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung.

Only agenda for the 'emergency' Assembly session seems to be deliberations on the Central government's notification giving absolute powers to the LG in appointment of bureaucrats and issues of police and public order.

Officials said the session will deliberate on the gazette notification issued by the Centre as well as issues relating to sharing of power between the elected government and the LG.

"Legal opinions from noted constitutional expert KK Venugopal and former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium were placed before the Cabinet and discussed in the meeting," the Chief Minister's office said.

The Cabinet also decided that depending on the requirement, the session can be extended further.

In the notification issued on Friday, the Centre gave absolute powers to the LG in appointment of bureaucrats while also clarifying that he need not "consult" the chief minister on subjects like police and public order.

The notification had also barred the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi government from registering any case against officers and political functionaries of the Central government.

However, in a victory for the Kejriwal government the Delhi High Court on Monday ruled that the ACB can act against Delhi Police officials. The High Court also noted that Lieutenant Governor of Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi is bound to act upon the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers who are directly elected by the citizens of Delhi and the Centre's "executive fiat" siding with him is "suspect".

The assembly was originally scheduled to meet in June for the passage of budget.

On a day when the Delhi High Court vindicated the Aam Aadmi Party-led Government’s ubiquitous battle against corruption, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spilled the beans on the specifics of its anti-graft machinery at the Janta ki Cabinet organised here on Monday.

In the background of the government’s recent tussle with the Centre over the issue of appointments of bureaucrats was a controversial Ministry of Ministry of Home Affairs notification limiting the jurisdiction of its anti-graft body, the Anti-Corruption Branch declared in July, 2014.

Meanwhile, the AAP government on Monday listed 11 focus areas of its work on completion of 100 days in office.

The Aam Aadmi Party government, which is in a tussle with the central government over powers related to posting and transfer of senior officials, held a public meeting at Central Park in Connaught Place to mark its 100 days.

Listing the government's achievements, AAP leaders said they had ensured cheap power and water, brought down corruption significantly and ensured that the dwellings of the poor were not razed.

"We are not fighting with the centre, we want to work with them. But the BJP-led central government is imposing dictatorship in Delhi as they cannot digest the absolute majority of the AAP in elections," he claimed.

"We told the prime minister that you have majority in parliament and we have it in the assembly (Delhi). And it is a golden opportunity to give Delhi statehood, but this is dictatorship," Kejriwal said.

Comments

 

Other News

‘World’s biggest festival of democracy’ begins

The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among all seven phases) in 21 States/ UTs and 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunach

A sustainability warrior’s heartfelt stories of life’s fleeting moments

Fit In, Stand Out, Walk: Stories from a Pushed Away Hill By Shailini Sheth Amin Notion Press, Rs 399

What EU’s AI Act means for the world

The recent European Union (EU) policy on artificial intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer and likely to become the de-facto standard not only for the conduct of businesses but also for the way consumers think about AI tools. Governments across the globe have been grappling with the rapid rise of AI tool

Indian Railways celebrates 171 years of its pioneering journey

The Indian Railways is celebrating 171 glorious years of its existence. Going back in time, the first train in India (and Asia) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853. It was flagged off from Boribunder (where CSMT stands today). As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway which ran the

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: How to connect businesses with people

7 Chakras of Management: Wisdom from Indic Scriptures By Ashutosh Garg Rupa Publications, 282 pages, Rs 595

ECI walks extra mile to reach out to elderly, PwD voters

In a path-breaking initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election, has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Voters above 85 years of age and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with 4

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter