AAP, Congress hold protest against Delhi L-G powers Bill; Kejriwal says people cheated

The AAP on Wednesday hit the streets against the Bill seeking to give more powers to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying that the BJP has brought the Bill as it is scared of his party's development work and reach in other states.

Demanding the withdrawal of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, he claimed that the Centre wanted to weaken his government and that is why the Bill has been introduced in Lok Sabha.

Addressing the protest organised by AAP at Jantar Mantar, he said, "I want to appeal to the Centre to take back the Bill. Don't cheat the people with this legislation. They have brought the bill as it is scared of the AAP's reach in other states. That is why they are trying to stop our development work in Delhi."

He accused the Centre of conspiring to weaken the democratically elected government in the capital.

Also Read | Delhi Congress stages sit-in at Jantar Mantar against Bill on L-G's powers

Referring to the 2018 Supreme Court verdict, he said the judgement had made it clear that the elected government should have more powers and the LG should act in the aid and advice of the Cabinet. But, he claimed, the BJP government ignores the directions of the Supreme Court.

He said the Bill says that the Delhi government would mean the LG. "Then what does an elected government mean? Where will people go if Delhi government means the LG? Then why elections were conducted. Why people voted? Then the votes of people do not mean anything. Citizens have been cheated," he said.

"Centre wants to weaken us through GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, but we will keep struggling for welfare of people," he added.

Separately, Congress also held a protest in the capital against the Bill with Delhi unit president Anil Kumar saying, "we are protesting against the autocracy of the Centre and the murder of democracy in Delhi through this Bill."