New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Tuesday said that the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A will oppose the Delhi Ordinance Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He said that the bill is an insult to the people residing in the national capital.
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which gives the lieutenant governor the final say on the transfer and posting of officials of the city government, was tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid vociferous protests by the opposition.
Speaking to ANI, Rawat said, "This Bill is an insult to the people of Delhi. So, I.N.D.I.A. and Congres have decided to oppose and defeat this. A few people might disagree over a few things but ultimately whatever the party leadership decides is the final decision."
"This decision has been taken after a lot of thinking. This step by the Centre weakens the federal structure...You are taking this step to nullify the judgement. This makes it clear that you don't believe in the judiciary," he added.
Meanwhile, a section of retired and serving bureaucrats expressed hope that the bill tabled in Parliament today would bring clarity to the chain of command and eliminate any confusion that might hamper governance.
Speaking on the bill, former Delhi chief secretary P K Tripathi said there should be clarity in matters of governance which will suffer if there is confusion among the bureaucracy over the official chain of command. Any lack of clarity hampers governance, he said, reported PTI.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in Delhi, termed the bill the most "undemocratic" piece of paper ever tabled in Parliament and asserted that it will replace democracy with "babucracy".
The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.
The ordinance virtually negated the Supreme Court verdict on May 11 that gave the elected AAP dispensation control over services, including transfer and posting of bureaucrats of the city government.