The Government of National Capital Territory of India bill (GNCTD bill) was passed in Lok Sabha on 15th March and in Rajya Sabha on 24th March. This bill has ignited protests, proclaiming unjust towards the Delhi government. Amid heated discussions, this bill is being criticized for daintily yet exponentially increasing the power of Delhi’s nominated Lieutenant Governor while undermining the powers of the elected assembly and party. Several people have accused the Modi government of this action to indirectly intervene, control the area, and seek vengeance for the Delhi elections’ dreadful loss. Even after a clamor from various opposition parties, significantly from AAP, the discussions in the parliament have petered down. Delhi’s ruling party’s impending silence- worst hit by the provisions of the act- has been deafening. Several parties have even labeled the bill as an “instrument for the death of democracy”. On the other hand, BJP’s Minister of State for home affairs has contended that the bill only serves the purpose of solving power distribution problems to distinguish functions. An important point is entailed in the bill, which states that when the word “government” will be referred to in any law, it shall mean the Lieutenant governor. This completely changes the meaning of “government”, which also undermines the power resting in the hands of the citizens by completely disregarding their elected candidate’s ability to make a decision.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF DELHI ( When was the Lieutenant governor of Delhi appointed?)
Delhi’s governance has always been a subject of complication and shifting. Thus, the bill adds a further impediment to the smooth functioning of governance. In 1952, Delhi became a state through the first assembly elections where Congress triumphed and Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav became the first chief minister of Delhi. However, in 1956, the government undertook one of the largest reforms of India’s boundaries of states and union territories under the States Reorganization Act. As a result, Delhi lost its statehood and was designated with a status of a union territory. After this substantial decision, the status remained the same for several years, until 1991. This year, the Congress-led government brought in the 69th constitutional amendment Act. Union Territory of Delhi was now called the National Capital Territory of India which gave it a special status. This act brought in the LG( lieutenant governor), a legislative assembly elected by the people, and a council of ministers. However, it was stated that the legislative assembly could make laws on any of the matters except those of land, public, and police orders, which was under the LG. After this trivial step, several governments came and several went, keeping the law stable until 2014. In this year’s elections, all the competing parties declared in their manifestos that they demanded full statehood for Delhi. Sheila Dixit was the then chief minister of Delhi whose demand was the same. While the Delhi citizens were confident of democratic rights, things soon spiraled in the other direction. The BJP-led coalition had come to power at the center, whereas, AAP had won the Delhi state elections. From here onwards, tension rose high, trying to undermine each other’s powers.
CONCLUSION
With the release of this bill, the smooth functioning of the AAP government was hampered. While this issue does diminish AAP’s powers substantially, it has a greater impact on the “democratic rights” of the citizens. Taking away the powers from a democratically elected government and giving it to someone who is not elected by a single person colossally affects the meaning of democracy, projecting the country in a bad light. Due to these subtle changes, India’s democracy Index and freedom ranking are falling rapidly. Prompt action has to be taken to alleviate the situation and further conserve the significance of democracy. India’s development is at risk and the only ones to be affected are the citizens themselves. It is necessary to observe decisions and voice out our outlook to save the sinking ship of liberty.