Senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy CM Shri Manish Sisodia Thursday said that the BJP government at the Centre has secretly worked to get the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill cleared, subverting the mandate of a democratically elected government. Terming the bill as the murder of constitutional democracy, Shri Sisodia said that Central government wants to impede Delhi’s development and progress by enhancing LG’s power. He further said that the Bill goes against the grain of the Constitution, gives more powers to LG in addition to the existing powers on police, land and public order. He said that the Bill gives unlimited powers to the LG, subverting the mandate of a democratically elected government.
Deputy CM Sisodia in a press conference said, “It is clearly mentioned in our Constitution that barring police, land and public order, everything else falls under the ambit of an elected government in Delhi. In its reading of the Constitution, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court has also clearly distinguished the powers of the elected government and LG. But, the BJP, which has faced defeat thrice in the past, wants to govern Delhi through a proxy.”
Deputy CM Sisodia said, “The LG will use this Act to unnecessarily intervene in the matters of public interest and impede the progress of Delhi. In the last 5 years, LG has invariably hindered the decisions made by Delhi government. Due to this, many progressive schemes such as Mohalla Clinic, CCTV, Free electricity and water, school infrastructure improvement and others have been delayed, the cost of which is borne by the people of Delhi.”
Deputy CM Sisodia said that BJP doesn’t want world class education and health facilities, free electricity and water for the people of Delhi. Hence, it is using secretive and unconstitutional ways to impede the progress of Delhi. BJP hasn’t been able to provide basic facilities to the public in BJP-ruled states. Rather than working on development in other states, it is trying to deprive the people of Delhi by giving unlimited powers to the LG in such an undemocratic manner.