New Delhi: Parliament on Tuesday passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill-2022 to unify three civic bodies in the national capital. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday alleged in Rajya Sabha that the step-motherly attitude of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi was preventing the three municipal corporations in the national capital from functioning properly. Shah made the remarks while introducing the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the Upper House. The Bill seeks to unify the three municipal corporations in Delhi.
"The step-motherly attitude of the Delhi Government is preventing the three municipal corporations from functioning properly," said Shah adding that the three municipal corporations are adopting different policies. The Union Home Minister also said that if governments behave in such step-motherly manner toward local bodies due to political motives then neither the panchayats nor the corporations for urban development will succeed. "We are also in power in several states where other parties are running local bodies. I have never seen such behaviour," said Shah.
The Union Home Minister further alleged that there was no unanimity in the policies adopted for the city because when the MCD was trifurcated financial resources and responsibilities were not properly looked into. "Even there are inequalities in the service conditions of the workers and because of this, there is a deep resentment among them," said Shah.
He also said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was divided into three municipal corporations in a hurry which resulted in imbalance. "I searched the reason for which the municipal body (MCD) was divided but no reason was available in any file. The objective was probably known only to the people who had brought it," he added. He also said that in the last 10 years there were over 250 strikes and in the decade before there were only two major strikes.
Shah's comments drew protests from several opposition parties including the AAP. Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi dubbed the Union Government's move as "constitutionally suspect, legally untenable, administratively blunderous and politically hypocritical". "This bill is about control and more control by a control freak 'sarkar' (government). It has nothing to do with the plight of Delhi and its hapless citizens. This is a dangerous politics of delaying (polls) through delimitation, which is going to lead to disorder, disorganisation and disaster," he added.
Taking a dig at the Opposition Shah said "those who are accusing us of being power-hungry should look in the mirror and see what they had done in the past. I can see in the House that those who forget history themselves become history. They should remember that it is not one family but the 130 crore people of the country who are most important."
The Home Minister also took jibes at Congress saying that it is the party that snatched the democratic rights of the people by imposing Emergency in the country and now it was raising a hue and cry over democracy. "Congress, the party which imposed the Emergency, snatched all democratic rights, sent Opposition behind bars for no reason, strangled freedom of the press, & censored Kishore Kumar's songs, is crying for democracy today?," said Shah.
Targeting the AAP government in Delhi, the Home Minister said that it was the step-motherly attitude of the Delhi Government towards the three civic bodies in the national capital, the Centre had to bring Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The Home Minister denied the Opposition's allegation that the Bill was in violation of the federal structure of the country. He said that Parliament has the authority to frame laws for Delhi. "Delhi municipal bill in no way an attack on federal structure," said Shah. As for the Opposition's allegation that the Bill was brought to delay polls, Shah said "if election is held after 6 months, will you lose."
The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed in Lok Sabha on March 30. It was opposed by Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the Lower House. The Delhi Municipal Corporation was divided into three municipal corporations, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in 2011 in accordance with the Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Act, 1911 (Delhi Act, 12 Of 2011).
