AAP govt to seek ‘clarification’ on its powers as 4-day session starts today
ADMINISTRATIVE TUSSLE Legislators may pass resolution asking govt to approach SC
NEW DELHI: The four-day session of Delhi assembly, which begins on Monday, is set to see ruling party legislators seek clarity on the powers of the 70-member house.
The development comes in the wake of the recent Delhi high court verdict that ruled that the lieutenant governor was the supreme administrative authority in the city.
Even as the Delhi government has decided to challenge the verdict in Supreme Court, sources said the ruling party legislators could pass a resolution demanding the state government approach the apex court.
“The resolution will reflect the sense of a duly elected body and how its powers are being undermined,” a senior AAP leader said.
While the Aam Aadmi Party has repeatedly been raising the issue of full statehood for Delhi, its government has been involved in a bitter fight with the Centre. The AAP government led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly alleged that the BJP-led central government has been weaning away powers of the Delhi government even on issues on which the legislative assembly has the power to make laws.
The opposition legislators, on the other hand, are preparing to corner the government on a host of issues including the repeated run-ins the AAP government had with the L-G secretariat. Opposition leader Vijender Gupta said that BJP will confront the ruling party for its “unconstitutional” action leading to a “piquant situation” in running the government.
In his Independence Day speech, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP government has taken away powers of the Delhi assembly and the government that were with it for the past two decades after the assembly came into being in 1993.
“Services was with the Delhi government for past two decades. But with one notification, the Centre took it and put it under command of the L-G. There needs to have a clarity about the status of the assembly,” an AAP leader said.
Besides the jurisdiction issue, the AAP legislators are also likely to raise the issue of arrest of party legislators and the functioning of the MCDs. Some MLAs have alleged that the MCD officials are obstructing development work under the MLALAD scheme.
During the four-day session, AAP government will also table two Bills — Ambedkar University Bill and Luxury Tax Amendment Bill. The government will do away with luxury tax on hotel rooms that cost up to `1,500 in the national capital.
Sources said the assembly will also ratify the Goods and Services Tax Bill of the Centre if the state government receives it for the purpose during the session.