New Delhi, March 30
The Lok Sabha today cleared the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, that seeks to unify the three municipal corporations of the national capital following an intense debate that saw allegations and counters flying with BJP speakers slamming Arvind Kejriwal and opposition parties like Congress and TMC who called the legislation “unconstitutional” and accused the ruling BJP of “running away” from elections “due to fear of losing”
In a hard-hitting reply to observations by opposition MPs as the Lok Sabha became a battleground of Delhi politics with BJP MPs taking on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Home Minister Amit Shah said the Bill was well within the powers vested in the Parliament as per Section 239 AA of the Constitution. “The Bill is as per the Constitution of India. Since Delhi is a Union Territory, the Government of India has all the right to bring any legislation relating to it,” he said, trashing arguments made by Congress and TMC MPs, including Manish Tewari and Mohua Moitra who also accused the BJP of shedding “crocodile tears” over the past decade, demanding statehood for Delhi.
“I cannot bring such a law in Maharashtra and Gujarat…those who don’t know the difference between state and UT are trying to mislead the country. The Bill does not infringe upon the rights of the State” Shah said.
“Neither I nor Centre can do it in the states. But if you don’t know difference between a state and the UT, I think Constitution needs to be studied again,” he said
Trashing arguments that the ruling party was bringing the Bill because it was “scared of losing the elections”, Shah said “fear is not the nature of BJP or its cadres.”
