MHA sends back 14 Bills after Kejriwal’s statehood tweet

“After the UK referendum on EU exit, it’s time to have a referendum on full statehood of Delhi. In a democracy the will of the ppl is supreme,” the chief minister had tweeted earlier in the day. 

Soon after the ministry returned the bills, a furious Kejriwal hit back at PM Narendra Modi and accused him of creating serious hurdles in functioning of the Delhi government. “Centre rejects 14 bills passed by Delhi Assembly. Shouldn’t Delhi Assembly have the power to make its own laws,” the CM tweeted.   

In a series of tweets, the CM attacked the Central government and also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Modi’s slogan - Na kaam karoonga, na karne doonga (Neither will I work, nor will I let others work),” Kejriwal tweeted. He also said the central government had no intention of clearing the bills. “They are interfering in everything.” “Should the central government have the right to block every work done by the Delhi government? Is the Centre the headmaster of the Delhi government,” he asked.

In response to the MHA’s argument that set ‘procedures’ were not followed while passing the bills, Kejriwal replied: “I sent the bills after following due procedure. They don’t have the intention to pass the bills.” In his last tweet, Kejriwal again requested, rather sarcastically, “Modiji, I appeal to you again - show some heart, forget your defeat in Delhi and don’t take it out on the people of Delhi,”dz Kejriwal tweeted.

According to sources, the ministry returned the bills on procedural grounds as prior approval from Lt Governor (LG) and the MHA was not taken. “Section 26 of GNCTD Act clearly says that no bill passed by Delhi Assembly shall be invalid on the grounds of LG/MHA’s prior approval,” said the spokesperson of Delhi Government. LG’s office, however, refused to share any information on the returned bills.

The bills returned to the Delhi government include Aam Aadmi Party’s flagship ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’ passing of which was celebrated as a historic moment by Delhi government and AAP workers in Delhi assembly during the winter session in 2015.  Bills related to salary hike of CM, ministers, speaker and MLAs of Delhi Assembly, labour law reforms, formation of a new university among others. Statehood for the capital city was one of the Chief Minister’s promises while he was campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections.