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After a temporary truce the contentious issue of distribution of powers between the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi (LG) and the Delhi Government, has started troubling the Delhiites once again. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government has strongly opposed the introduction of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, claiming that it clearly violates the verdict of the Constitution Bench in 2018. It may be mentioned here that the said judgement ruled that apart from subjects such as police, public order and land, LG’s concurrence is not required on other subjects. The Aam Admi Party (AAP) further alleged that the bill would damage the federal structure. On the other hand, the Centre is of the firm opinion that the amendment is needed for good and smooth governance in the National Capital Region (NCR), which is now the second largest urban settlement in the world according to the United Nations (UN). There is no question of violating a verdict or undermining the federal structure, the Centre argues. But the public for whose benefits both the sides have entered into the verbal duel are unimpressed over the developments. According to them, instead of political mud-slugging both sides should devote themselves to root out the problems that the Delhiites are facing in their everyday life. For them getting rid of pollution, ensuring the safety of women, containing the spread of Covid-19 virus, etc. are more important than wasting energy in a debate which is futile and meaningless.
As a matter of fact, even before Delhi was granted statehood, it was known to all that the national capital would not be a full-fledged state. Thus since day one, sharing of power has remained a bone of contention between the Centre and the Delhi Government. Initially, the issue did not bother our policy makers much, as a single party was in power in both the Centre and the State. The problem began when AAP came to power in Delhi and the party started demanding more power. The trouble became so severe that the Chief Minister and his colleagues staged a protest inside LG’s official residence for a number of days. As the matter snowballed into a major crisis it was referred to the Supreme Court. After the Constitution Bench delivered the verdict it appeared that the matter had been resolved permanently. But recent developments have left Delhiites fuming.
How this issue is affecting the Delhiites can be judged from the fact that soon after the introduction of the bill in Lok Sabha, AAP called for a protest rally at Jantar Mantar. Hundreds of people joined the protest without wearing masks, deliberately ignoring the corona threat. Quite strangely, it all happened in front of those people who are entrusted with the job of keeping Delhi safe and healthy. Clearly, it is not the time to battle over sharing of power. In such a difficult time, issues should be settled through discussions. There is no point in taking to the streets disregarding health issues as in this manner, Delhi will always remain deprived of good governance.