AAP Ministers, leaders slam Centre for 'defying' SC order

The fight between the Delhi government and the Centre over "services" matter intensified on Monday as several AAP Ministers accused the Union government of "brazenly defying Supreme Court orders and deliberately obstructing major projects in Delhi".

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, on the first day of Assembly's monsoon session, said that the central government is trying to "sabotage the Delhi government's work" by keeping "services" to itself and by transferring officers like "shuffling a deck of cards".

"Whenever any work is about to be finalised, they (the Centre) changes officers as if they are playing cards. In one case, we were discussing work on building skill development centres but they changed three Secretaries and two Directors within three months and so the work on the project is still pending," Sisodia said.

The Supreme Court on July 4 ruled that executive powers in Delhi -- except law and order, police and land -- were vested in the elected government and the Lt Governor was bound to act on the aid and advice of the government in all other matters.

Dubbing the Services Department as the most crucial element in smooth governance, Sisodia asserted that "it is easy to derail any work of the government" if the authority over the department lay with the Central government.

He said that the control over the department is a way of the central government to "continue their corruption."

Other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders like Saurabh Bharadwaj, Imran Hussain, Alka Lamba, and Satyendar Jain also spoke against the Centre for "defying" clear instructions of the apex court and thereby obstructing major projects like doorstep ration delivery and installation of CCTVs in the national capital.

"This is a clear contempt of the apex court. This is for the first time in the history of independent India that the Central government has openly refused to accept a Supreme Court ruling. If it becomes a precedent, there will be anarchy," Health Minister Satyendar Jain said.

--IANS

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