Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday came down heavily on the Narendra Modi-led Central government as the Delhi services bill was passed in the Lok Sabha which replaces the ordinance for handling the transfers and postings of senior officers in the city government. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed in Lok Sabha on Thursday after a nearly four-hour-long debate amid a walkout by the Opposition.
“Every time BJP promised to give full statehood to Delhi. In 2014, Modi himself said that on becoming the Prime Minister, he would give full statehood to Delhi. But today these people stabbed the people of Delhi in the back. Don't believe anything of Modi ji from now on,” Kejriwal tweeted.
Other Opposition leaders also berated the Centre over the Bill and staged a walkout from the Lower House of the Parliament during the debate which was replied to by Union Minister Amit Shah.
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"We staged a walkout as we were not being allowed to raise our voice in the Parliament," said Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary.
"I strongly oppose this (Delhi Ordinance) bill. How can you give bureaucrats the authority that belongs to the elected representatives of the people?" said Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh called the bill “unconstitutional” and against the verdict of the Supreme Court.
All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi termed the Bill against India’s basic structure.
"They have a brute majority. We had beforehand that this is an unconstitutional Bill. This Bill is against India's basic structure. The Supreme Court had ruled against it earlier. I believe that when this goes to the Supreme Court, the Court will see this...Every party has its own strategy. We sat there and opposed the Bill,” he said.