Rajya Sabha passes bill to unify three Delhi civic bodies into single entity

New Delhi, April 5 (FN Representative) Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Bill to unify three civic bodies of Delhi namely The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 with a voice vote with various amendments moved by the Opposition MPs getting rejected following a debate. The Bill unifies the three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single body. Home Minister Amit Shah while replying to the debate in the Upper House attacked Aam Aadmi Party for “meting out step motherly treatment to the three civic bodies by depriving them of necessary funds” and called it the primary reason for the Centre to bring in the Amendment Bill in Parliament. “Questions have been raised on the Constitutional right of the government to bring in the MCD Bill. The Bill has been brought under relevant provisions of the Constitution of India…. Those who say we are power hungry should first see their faces in the mirror,” said Amit Shah.

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Shah said that those who taunted the BJP for having two MPs didn’t know that it is the 130 crore people who are supreme in a democracy, and not a family. “Those who forget history become history…. we neither have the fear of losing election, nor do we have arrogance of winning polls,” Shah said. Further, responding to AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s jibe that the government is suffering from phobia of Arvind Kejriwal, Shah reminded the Aam Aadmi Party of its electoral performance in UP, Uttarakhand and Goa. “I cannot use the kind of language used by Sanjay Singh. He said we have been suffering from their phobia. After winning a municipality, we never had the arrogance to say to Congress that it has got our phobia. AAP has received 0.38% votes in Uttar Pradesh. The party lost deposits in 349 seats. On 306 places they have got votes less than NOTA. In Uttarakhand, AAP lost deposits on 68 seats out of a total 70. In Goa, they lost deposits on 35 seats out of 39 seats,” Shah said. Explaining the rationale behind the unification, the government said it will lead to appropriate allocation of resources coupled with a synergistic and co-operative working for mutual good. Elaborating on the process of elections, the Home Minister said that post the completion of the panchayat elections, the delimitation process would commence and after that, MCD elections would be announced. UNI ASU SHK2130