Govt prepares draft Delhi statehood bill

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said a draft bill on  statehood for the national capital is ready, signalling his government’s renewed push to fulfil its electoral promise which may lead to a face-off with the Centre.

“Draft bill for statehood of Delhi ready. Will be soon placed in public domain for comments and suggestions from the public,” Kejriwal said in a tweet. The Aam Aadmi Party government had earlier come up with the idea of a referendum on the issue of statehood for Delhi in July last year. But that did not materialise.

The Chief Minister had on earlier occasions said the Central government can keep the New Delhi Municipal Council area or Lutyens’ Delhi and give the rest to the city government.

Delhi has a unique status in the Indian union. It is a union territory with a legislative assembly that limits the power of Delhi government.

Delhi Police and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which owns land in the city, are under the central government, which exercises its powers through the Lieutenant Governor. Delhi government has no say on the issues of law and order and land use.

Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday said the bill will be placed in the public domain for suggestions in the next few days. “If Delhi is given full statehood, we will be able to work for the welfare of people with twice the current speed,” he said.
When asked if the government’s demand will lead to another confrontation with the Centre, Rai said all parties have been promising full statehood in their election manifestoes.

The BJP, however, made a tactful U-turn ahead of the Assembly polls in February 2015 and dropped the demand for full statehood from its manifesto, claiming that the issue needed wider discussion between stakeholders.

The AAP government has often claimed that proposal for statehood has been delayed due to lack of political will. “AAP has political will. It is high time the people got it (statehood). We will not tolerate stepmotherly treatment towards people in Delhi,” Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra had said earlier.