Jan Lokpal Bill unlikely to be tabled in Delhi Assembly today

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will not table the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi assembly today. The party has decided to circulate copies of the bill among Delhi lawmakers before tabling it, reports NDTV.com. 

 

The Union law ministry late on Wednesday said the Delhi government would have to take the prior consent of the Centre before tabling the anti-corruption legislation.

 

The Congress, which supports the government from the outside, and the opposition BJP maintained the government would be violating “constitutional provisions” by not taking the approval of the Lieutenant Governor and the Union government before introducing the bill in the House.
 

The Delhi Chief Minister had on Sunday threatened to resign if the Congress does not support his government in passing the Jan Lokpal Bill.

 

Kejriwal, whose AAP government survives on outside support of the Congress, said he did not join politics to become Chief Minister and the Lokpal bill and Delhi Nagar Swaraj bill were important for him.

 

The AAP leader contended that the Constitution provides that Delhi government can pass any law except those relating to police, law and order and land, and there was no need to send the bill to the Union government for prior clearance.

 

On Monday, Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung made it clear that the Centre’s approval was mandatory before the Bill was introduced in the House.

 

The AAP, which won 28 seats in the Assembly elections in December, had now an effective strength of 26 in the 70-seat Delhi assembly with one member being elected Speaker while another was expelled.