New Delhi, June 24 :As many as 14 bills passed by the Delhi assembly have been returned by the Home Ministry, saying proper procedures were not followed by the AAP government while adopting the legislations.
A senior Home Ministry official said since Delhi is a Union Territory, any bill it wants to adopt in the assembly has to be first sent to the central government for approval.
If the nod is given, then only it can be moved for legislative approval.
When the assembly passes the bill, then it has to go to the Lieutenant Governor and again to the central government for Presidential assent.
In none of the 14 bills, the Delhi government took prior approval from the central government and straightway passed the bills in the assembly.
Since proper procedures were not followed, all the 14 bills were returned to the Delhi government for correction, the official said.This came weeks after President Pranab Mukherjee refused assent to a legislation that sought to protect 21 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, who have been appointed Parliamentary Secretaries, from disqualification for honding office of profit.
The bills which were returned in the last few weeks include the Janlokpal Bill 2015, the Minimum Wages (Delhi Amendment) Bill 2015, Delhi School (Verification Of Accounts and Refund of Excess Fee) Bill 2015, Delhi School Education (Amendment) Bill 2015, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill 2015 and a Bill related to working journalists.
This development is likely to trigger a fresh dual between the AAP government and the Centre that have been locked in a face-off over various issues.
Kejriwal targets Modi after bills are returned
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the central government returned bills passed by the Delhi assembly. “Modi’s slogan — Na kaam karoonga, na karne doonga (Neither will I work, nor will I let others work),” Kejriwal tweeted.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said the central government had no intention of clearing the bills. “They are interfering in everything.”
Should not the elected government in Delhi have the right to pass any legislation, he asked.
“Should the central government have the right to block every work done by the Delhi government? Is the Centre the headmaster of the Delhi government?”
