A contentious bill granting more powers to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor – the centre’s representative – than the city’s elected government was signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday. The Union Home Ministry will now announce when it will take effect.
The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, despite a walkout by the Congress and several other opposition parties, including Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party.
The bill is seen as a major setback for Arvind Kejriwal’s government, which has been at odds with the Lieutenant Governor since taking power in the national capital for the first time in 2013.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday cleared the controversial Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Bill, thus making it a law.
The bill was passed by the president from the hospital where he is expected to undergo a bypass surgery on Tuesday.
The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill clarifies that the term “government” in Delhi refers to the Lieutenant Governor, and his approval is required before the Delhi government takes any executive action.
After two days of chaos in the Upper House, where opposition MPs repeatedly said it would destroy democracy, the bill was passed in parliament. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy had said the amendments would lead to transparency and clarity in governance in NCT of Delhi and enhance public accountability.
The legislation was approved by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha. When the government moved the bill for consideration, the opposition sought a schism. During the vote, 83 members voted in favour of the bill, while 45 voted against it. The Congress also walked out shortly before the bill’s passage.
