Services Bill Brought To Curb Abuse Of Power By Delhi Government: Amit Shah

Delhi services bill in no way violates the Supreme Court judgment, Home Minister Amit Shah said in Rajya Sabha this evening. The bill – the latest flashpoint between the Centre and the opposition – was passed by Rajya Sabha today. It was passed by Lok Sabha last week after a walkout by members of opposition bloc INDIA. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 would become law after President’s Droupadi Murmu’s sign-off.

“Delhi Services Bill in no way violates Supreme Court judgment. The bill aimed at effective, corruption-free governance in the national capital. It aims to cub abuse of power by the Delhi government,” he insisted.

His statement came hours after he moved the bill for passage in the House after opposition members moved a resolution disapproving the ordinance brought by the government in May this year.

The opposition tried to block Mr Shah’s address at least thrice for allegedly using unparliamentary words and deviating from the agenda of debate but their points of order were ruled out by the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar every time.

The BJP’s chief strategist also claimed that the bill was first brought by the Congress when it was in power. “I want to assure that none of the provisions of the bill are changed from what it was in the Congress regime,” he said.

He also accused the Congress of appeasing the Aam Aadmi Party by “opposing the bill it itself brought”. “They are now sitting in AAP’s lap,” Mr Shah said amid a huge uproar by the opposition in parliament for using an unparliamentary word.

Mr Shah said the “AAP government in Delhi transferred officers in vigilance department as liquor scam files were with it” while giving a “chronology of the events after the Supreme Court order”.

“After the ruling, the AAP government ordered immediate transfers in vigilance dept as it was probing scams, including in Chief Minister house renovation,” he alleged.

Amit Shah also took a swipe at the Congress, saying Arvind Kejriwal will quit the opposition bloc INDIA once the Delhi services bill is passed. Continuing his tirade against the opposition parties, he said, “They are opposing the Delhi services bill only to save their alliance”

“It won’t matter even if more parties join the INDIA bloc, Narendra Modi will again become PM in 2024,” he added. At this point, a point of order was raised by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who insisted that Mr Shah should talk about the bill and not about 2024 and should avoid resorting to personal attacks.

The bill empowers the Central Government to make rules in connection with the affairs of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, including the functions, terms, and other conditions of service of officers and employees.

It was brought in by the Centre on May 19, a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected government, headed by Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP.

Earlier in the day, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said in Rajya Sabha that bill is a “political fraud” and “constitutional sin” aimed at taking away the powers of an elected government in the national capital.

He also appealed to the non-NDA parties to support AAP in the House against the bill.