Kejriwal compares NCT Bill to British-era Govt of India Act of 1935
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New Delhi: The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which had faced strong resistance and concerns over its constitutionality, was given the nod by Parliament on Monday as it moved through the Rajya Sabha. The Bill gives the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, who was appointed by the Centre, more control over the national Capital's government.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, referred to the Bill's passage in the Upper House late on Monday as a "backdoor robbery of power" at the time.
“The Bill to enslave the people of Delhi was passed in Parliament today. This Bill renders the people of Delhi powerless. In 1935, the British brought in a law called the Government of India Act, which said there will be elections in India but the elected government will not have any powers,” Kejriwal said in a video address.
The Government of India Act of 1935 aimed to create a "Federation of India" that would be divided into central and provincial levels of government and comprise British Indian possessions and princely states. The Act established bicameralism — upper and lower Houses — at the Centre and in six provinces along with direct elections to these chambers. It was one of the longest pieces of legislation ever approved by the British Parliament at the time.