NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Delhi Municipal Corporations Unification Bill, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying it was necessary due to stepmotherly treatment meted out to the civic bodies by the Delhi government.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022, to unify three civic bodies in the national capital, was passed amidst strong opposition by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and negating amendments moved by the Opposition.
The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha last week. Speaking during discussion on the bill, Shah said that it was a mistake to trifurcate the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in 2012 and they could still have functioned normally had the Delhi government not treated them in such a ‘shabby’ manner.
On allegations by the Opposition that the Bill impinges on the rights of the state, Shah said, “This bill is in no way an attack on the federal structure.” He said that the Centre has powers to amend the law as Delhi is only a Union Territory and not a full state.
With both the Congress and AAP saying the Centre has brought the Bill out of fear of losing the civic body polls, the home minister stated that the BJP has no fear of losing elections or arrogance even when it is assured of victory.
“It is being alleged that the Bill has been brought due to fear of losing elections. But if elections are held after six months, will you lose? Is that why you are worried? We are only setting up a system which is expected to delay the elections,” Shah said.
He claimed that the Centre has doubled the allocation for Delhi and has not reduced a single penny due to the Union Territory, but the Delhi government has not paid the three civic bodies Rs 40,561 crore as per the fifth Finance Commission and instead gave only Rs 21,000 crore which is the reason for the plight of these bodies.
However, Congress slammed BJP, saying the bill failed to address the core issue of the funds crisis. Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said the Bill is constitutionally suspect. “It is legally untenable, it is an administrative blunder and it is politically hypocritical,” he said. Singhvi said it has nothing to do with the improvement in services offered to the citizens of the national capital.