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The Lok Sabha Thursday witnessed some light moments when Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition in the House and senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury went back and forth as the Centre defended the Bill to override a Supreme Court order on who controls bureaucrats in the country’s capital.
Defending the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Amit Shah said that India’s founding fathers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, C Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad and BR Ambedkar were against the idea of Delhi getting the status of a full state.
Replying to this, Chowdhury quipped: “When we came to the House today, it felt good that Amit Shah ji was repeatedly praising Nehru and the Congress party. I thought to myself, what am I seeing? Is this day or night? I thought I should run up to him and put a sweet in his mouth. Because praise for Nehru and the Congress from his mouth was a happy surprise for me.”
However, he was interrupted by the Home Minister, who clarified that he had not praised Nehru. “I have not praised Pandit Nehru. I have simply quoted what he has said. If they want to consider this praise, I have no objection to that.”
Adhir then went onto say: “When you need, you take the help of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. If you had actually taken the help of Nehru, the country would not have witnessed Manipur and Haryana.” The senior Congress leader, during the statement, was referring to the ethnic conflict in Manipur and communal clashes in Haryana’s Nuh area.
The comments come at a time when the Centre has been trying to push the Bill through Parliament. The Centre had promulgated the Ordinance on May 19, 2023 — eight days after the Constitution Bench of Supreme Court pronounced its judgment in the Government of NCT of Delhi v. Union of India case, granting more powers to the Delhi government over services in the national capital.
“This ordinance refers to the order of the Supreme Court, which says that the Parliament has the right to make laws on any issue related to the National Capital Territory of Delhi. There are provisions in the Constitution that allow the Centre to make laws for Delhi,” The Union Home Minister said.
#WATCH | In the year 2015, a party came to power in Delhi whose only motive was to fight, not serve…The problem is not getting the right to do transfer postings, but getting control of the vigilance department to hide their corruption like building their bungalows: Union Home… pic.twitter.com/pelULwGMgH
— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2023
He added: “I appeal to parties to not support all the corruption taking place in Delhi just because you are in an alliance. Because despite the alliance, PM Modi will win the election with a full majority.”
The Bill was earlier introduced by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Lok Sabha amid vociferous protests by Opposition members.
“In the year 2015, a party came to power in Delhi whose only motive was to fight, not serve. The problem is not getting the right to transfer postings, but getting control of the vigilance department to hide their corruption like building their bungalows,” Amit Shah said.
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