New Delhi: The Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal had gone ahead and tabled the Jan Lokpall Bill in the assembly on Thursday and disregarded the advice of Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.
Notify that the Union law ministry late on Wednesday said the Delhi government would have to take the prior consent of the Centre before tabling the anti-corruption legislation.
Arvind Kejriwal however said that he has a list of Bills passed by the previous Congress government in Delhi that hadn’t taken the prior consent of the Centre.
AAP convener had threatened on Sunday that he would go to any extreme for the bill’s interest, even if that meant resigning from the post of chief minister.
AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said, “If the Congress and the BJP vote against the tabling of the Bill, then most probably the government will have to go.”
However Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal said, “The Law Ministry has given its opinion on the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, the power is legally vested in the L-G. The L-G has the right to advise the Delhi government not to table the Bill.”
A confrontation between L-G Najeeb Jung and Kejriwal has been buiding over the past few days with both failing to arrive at a consensus on whether the Delhi government can table Bills without the consent of the Centre. Kejriwal had reminded him of his oath to the Constitution and Jung wrote back citing the rule book to Jung.
The BJP and Congress, both have been saying that they want due process to be followed.
DPCC head Arvinder Singh Lovely questioned, “Doesn’t Arvind Kejriwal know that he has to give two days for discussion on a Bill.”
Notify that AAP now has just 27 members. It does not have the numbers to pass its pet Bill without the support of Congress and Independents in 70 membered Delhi Assembly. Congress had been given his support to make the government from outside.
Bureau Report
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