Draft bill in public domain soon

In a move that might trigger a new confrontation between the Delhi government and the Centre, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to make public the draft bill for Delhi’s full statehood seeking control over the police, DDA and transfer and postings of bureaucrats later this week.

A senior official on Monday said the Delhi government will place the draft bill in public domain and seek comments and suggestions, bringing the contentious issue to the fore. It is also likely that the AAP government may convene a special Assembly session on the issue.

Sources said the draft will not touch the NDMC area which houses Rashtrapati Bhavan, residences of the vice-president, the Prime Minister, parliamentarians and the foreign missions. In the draft bill, the AAP government will ensure that institutions such as Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi police will be accountable to the elected government of the national capital, they said.

“The chief minister will make public draft bill for statehood of Delhi this week and seek comments and suggestions from the masses. After receiving suggestions and comments from people, the draft bill will be tabled in the Delhi Cabinet for its nod. Once the draft bill is passed by the Cabinet, it will then be tabled in the Delhi Assembly. Thereafter, the House will pass a resolution in favour of full statehood of Delhi and then send it to the Centre for an constitutional amendment,” a source said, adding Parliament has authority to take the final decision on the issue.

Through the draft bill, the Kejriwal government is likely to seek control over transfers and postings of bureaucrats. The Central government and the AAP dispensation have been at loggerheads over the transfers and postings of bureaucrats.

Granting full statehood to the national capital is one of the major electoral promises of the Aam Aadmi Party, in the absence of which it has frequently clashed with the BJP-led Centre over matters of jurisdiction since assuming office.

The BJP has had an ambivalent stance on the issue although the Vajpayee government had introduced a bill in Parliament in 2003 to confer full statehood to Delhi, which was never passed.

Last year, the AAP had planned to hold a referendum on the issue, which was later shelved.