Delhi Services Bill An 'Insult' To Advani, Vajpayee: AAP MP Raghav Chadha

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Monday called the Delhi services bill a 'political fraud' and said that it is an insult to senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Participating in a discussion on the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha, Chadha said it was the BJP that fought hard to get statehood for Delhi from 1977 to 2015. He also cited the BJP's election manifestos demanding statehood for Delhi.

The bill, notably, will replace an ordinance promulgated by the Centre for handling the transfers and postings of officials in the Delhi government.

"This bill is an insult not only to democracy and the Constitution but also to Lal Krishna Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madan Lal Khurana, Sushma Swaraj, and their 40 years of struggle," Raghav Chadha said.

He said that the real reason for bringing the Delhi Services Bill is that the BJP has lost six elections in the national capital in the last 25 years.

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"They know that they won't be able to win in the next 25 years as well. So they are trying to destroy the state government," the AAP leader added.

He noted that the bill is an abuse of the power to promulgate an ordinance granted under Article 123 of the Constitution.

"What extreme situation has come that the government had to overturn a Supreme Court order in just eight days?" Chadha said, adding that the bill 'insults' the Supreme Court of India.

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, currently headed by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

Chadha said that the bill also undermines the principles of collective responsibility and ditches the principle of a triple chain of authority and accountability.

He said the bill gives powers to the lieutenant governor for postings and transfers in Delhi.

"If in Delhi someone is not getting electricity, water, or someone's child is not getting admission in school, will the person go to the Lt Governor and not reach out to his minister, chief minister? Do people know where the Lt Governor lives, from which assembly he represents, from where he has won the election," Chadha said.

All the powers from an elected government have been given to the Lt Governor, he stated and added that the bill symbolizes the dominance of non-elected officials over the elected ones.

He also appealed to the non-NDA parties to support AAP against the bill and invoked the Mahabharata, saying his party seeks justice in the House.

What is Delhi Services Bill?

According to the Delhi Services Bill, the National Capital Civil Services Authority will consist of the chief minister, chief secretary, and the principal home secretary of Delhi.

The bill empowers the authority to make recommendations to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor regarding transfers and postings of officials and disciplinary matters.

It also empowers the L-G to exercise his sole discretion on several matters, including those recommended by the National Capital Civil Services Authority, and the summoning, prorogation, and dissolution of the Delhi Legislative Assembly.