Delhi services bill will not survive in Rajya Sabha: Sanjay Singh

New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday said the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the Delhi services ordinance, will not survive in the Rajya Sabha.

All members of the opposition bloc INDIA will oppose the proposed legislation in the Upper House, he told PTI video.

Tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, the proposed legislation will reverse the effect of a Supreme Court verdict that gave the elected government of Delhi power over administrative services in the national capital.

The contentious bill gives the lieutenant governor the final say on the transfer and posting of officials of the Delhi government and will strengthen the Centre's control over the national capital.

When asked about the services bill, Singh reiterated that it is "anti-constitutional" and against the federal structure and democracy.

"When this bill comes in Rajya Sabha, all members of the INDIA bloc will oppose it. The battle is also underway in the Supreme Court. This bill will definitely not survive and will have to go away," the AAP MP said.

Noting that the real power of administration must rest with the elected arm of the government, the Supreme Court had on May 11 ruled that the Delhi government has control over services in the national capital, excluding the matters relating to public order, police and land.

On May 19, the Centre promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.

The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government has challenged the ordinance in the Supreme Court. In the past couple of months, Kejriwal toured the country and met leaders of other opposition parties to ensure that the bill is not passed in Rajya Sabha, where the NDA does not have a majority.

Singh blamed the BJP for the situation in Manipur, which has been roiled by months-long ethnic violence.

"Be it Manipur or Mewat, there is violence, hatred and rioting wherever the BJP is. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls are around the corner. If there are no riots in the country, then how will the BJP benefit? "It does not want to work on schools and employment issues but can only incite people to indulge in violence. Now, the people of the country will have to think whether they want schools and good treatment or they want to get entangled in politics of hatred," he said.

More than 160 people have been killed and hundreds injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

In Haryana's Nuh district, communal violence broke out on Monday as a mob tried to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession by pelting stones and setting cars on fire. Later, a 'panchayat' targeted Muslims.

Five people have been killed in the violence so far in the district where a curfew has been imposed.