President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday gave his assent to the controversial Bill, which gives overreaching powers to Delhi’s lieutenant govern...
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday gave his assent to the controversial Bill, which gives overreaching powers to Delhi’s lieutenant governor by effectively wresting control away from the city’s elected government, PTI reported.
The central government announced the presidential assent to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Amendment Bill, 2021 through a gazette notification.
The legislation was cleared in both Houses of Parliament amid strong protests from the Opposition, which said the proposed reforms were against the federal structure of India’s democracy.
In the Rajya Sabha, the Bill was passed on March 25 after the members voted through division slips, with 83 voting in favour and 45 against the motion. MPs opposing the Bill, including Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge, walked out of the house right after voting. Similar protests erupted in the Lok Sabha during the passage of the legislation on March 22.
The Bill is seen as a huge setback to Arvind Kejriwal’s government, which has been at loggerheads with the lieutenant governor’s office since it came to power for the first time in 2013. When the Bill was passed by Parliament, the Delhi chief minister called it a “sad day for Indian democracy”.
The Centre maintains that the legislation will not curtail the power of Delhi’s elected government, but...
