Clipping Arvind Kejriwal’s wings, Parliament gives nod to Delhi Services Bill
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, August 7: With 131 ayes, the Rajya Sabha accorded approval to the contentious Delhi Services Bill which effectively clubs Chief Minister of the national capital at par with bureaucrats, while risking the city government’s remote-controlling by the Centre. A livid Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a video statement claimed that “now Prime Minister will decide transfer and posting of peon in the national capital”.
Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, who piloted the legislation, claimed that the bill aims to curb corruption in the national capital. Replying to the debate in the Upper House of Parliament, Shah charged that the Delhi CM had transferred the vigilance head in the city who was probing corruption cases, including the official residence of Kejriwal.
Nine Raya Sabha MPs each of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the YSR Congress backed the Centre in helping the passage of the Delhi Services Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. With the bill getting the nods of both the Houses of Parliament, a panel consisting of the chief minister, chief secretary and principal home secretary will decide with majority votes the transfer and positing of the officials, with the Lieutenant Governor gaining the vote to intervene in matters of stalemate. This may possibly be a first kind of arrangement in which the chief minister may be part of a panel consisting of two bureaucrats with all having the same vote strength.
Kejriwal charged that the Bharatiya Janata Party after facing defeats four times at the hands of the Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital resorted to the back-door entry in the governance of Delhi. Shah on his part questioned the Congress protests against the bill, arguing that it was the UPA government which enacted the law to give the power to Parliament to make law in the matters of services for the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Shah almost repeated his reply given in the Lok Sabha while replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha as he reiterated that the Kejriwal government has not been working as per the rules. Shah also took a potshot at the AAP, saying that those winning Panchayat elections seek powers of Parliament.
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