Jan Lokpal Bill Tabled In Delhi Assembly Midst Huge Uproar, Will Arvind Kejriwal Resign?

By Akhil Kumar:

The News: Arvind Kejriwal led AAP has tabled the Jan Lokpal And Swaraj bills in the Assembly, which many claim is unconstitutional. Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly threatened to resign from the post of CM if anyone tries to block the introduction of these bills. He said that he would accept it if the bills are defeated after introduction but would resign if the bills are blocked. “A bill with financial consideration needs the involvement of the Lieutenant Governor. This is not a kangaroo court, Mr Kejriwal wants to write his own Constitution,” Congress’ Haroon Yusuf was quoted as saying. “We came to power only for the jan lokpal and Swaraj bills”, says the Aam Aadmi Party.  The assembly witnessed a stormy day, with four adjournments and no business taking place on the floor of the House, CM Kejriwal alleged that the Congress and the BJP had joined hands and did not want the house to function.

Reiterating his position that Delhi government does not have to send the bill to the Centre for prior approval, Kejriwal said there was nothing in the Constitution of India making prior approval a must. “For me, the Constitution of India is supreme and I abide by that. India has a federal structure where the central government and the state governments run parallel. We are authorised to make a law which is repugnant to a Central law. I know if we send the draft to the Centre it will never come back,” he added.

The Opinion: The Congress and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi say that the bill is unconstitutional and will be repugnant to the law as it is unconstitutional without the consent of the President. “Both the union home ministry and union ministry of law and justice have written to the L-G that introduction of a bill that may be repugnant to the central act needs prior assent from the President. The L-G has used his veto power and written to the Speaker,” sources say.

The Aam Aadmi Party, however, has bypassed the constitution and tabled the bill in the assembly causing a huge uproar. What do you think?

Do you agree with the BJP when they say that Arvind Kejriwal is behaving like a dictator, or do you think AAP is right in doing what it did?