Centre vs state: Delhi government
may also organize Republic day, in its own way
-DR. ABDUL RUFF
COLACHAL
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New political developments unfold in New
Delhi with Delhi government finding itself in conflict with
Central government, rekindling the age old controversies
surrounding state-centre relations. Off and on, disputes over
the state’s jurisdiction viz-a-viz centre take place and some
temporary compromise is made.
New Delhi this January 26 Republic Day may
see two types of Republic day, one for the rich being organized by the central
government and another for the common people to be made
ready shortly.
Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called for Republic Day AAP style after
his protest in Delhi resulting in chaos on the streets, adding to the standoff
between the Delhi police and the government.
Observing that the
crime rate in the national capital was "very high", Delhi Chief
Minister activist Arvind Kejriwal demanded that Delhi Police be brought under
Delhi government as Delhiites wanted answers from the force for every crime
that took place in the city.
Kejriwal’s plain
demand created flutter in Central government circles, objecting to the Delhi
CM’s demand as impractical.
Arguments and
counter ones have led to the Delhi CM announcing the organization of
their own Republic Day parade on 26th January.
Kejriwal told
reporters following a meeting with Home Minister Sushilkumar
Shinde, "People come to us demanding answers whenever a crime takes
place. They do not look for the (Union) home minister. So, it is high time that
Delhi Police was handed over to Delhi government," He said that, if required,
the security of the NDMC area and Lutyens' Zone may be controlled by the
Centre, but stressed that the law and order duties for the rest of the city
should be handed over to Delhi governor.
It is really
unfortunate that an elected government in Delhi, instead of
taking punitive measures against the culprits, has to ask
the central governmental to take
actions against them-police officers who are responsible
for trouble.
Delhi Common-man
government has asked the Central government to bring Delhi police under
Delhi government and let the state government to deal with law order
situation in the capital better and more aptly. Now Delhi police is under
central government jurisdiction.
As
long as central and Delhi government are ruled by one and same party, the
Congress, the centre-state relations were smooth and the bilateral matters
looked normal. But now Delhi state has Aam Aadmi Party as the ruling party and
the new party won the stat by defaming the Congress which rules India, in the
recent assembly poll. So, the Delhi should be allowed to create state
infrastructure, including police.
For a long time the
Delhi government is saying that Delhi Police should be brought under
it. On Friday Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal repeated the long-standing
demand when he met Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. He said they had
also demanded suspension of the policemen who were allegedly negligent in the
discharge of their duties with respect to three cases -- the gangrape of the
Danish woman, alleged drug rackets in Malviya Nagar and the death of a woman in
a dowry-related case in West Delhi.
Observing that the crime rate in the national capital was "very
high", Kejriwal demanded that Delhi Police be brought under Delhi
government as Delhiites wanted answers from the force for every crime that took
place in the city.
The AAP government
also reiterated a long-standing demand of its predecessor to hand over the
charge of the Delhi Police to the state government. At present, the state
police are under the jurisdiction of the Central government and reports
directly to the Delhi Lt. Governor.
Tensions between
the Centre and the Delhi government escalated on 17th January
as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met the Union home minister and threatened to
launch an agitation unless the police officials involved in an ugly spat with
his cabinet ministers were punished, an intervention that drew flak from
several quarters for bordering on vigilantism. In a move that is expected
to snowball into an ugly confrontation between the state and Delhi police,
cabinet minister Manish Sisodia warned that the government and people of Delhi
will not remain mute spectators if the police functioning did not improve,
while Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi stood by his men and refused to take
any action until an impartial inquiry is completed.
The showdown
between the Aam Aadmi Party Government and the Delhi Police reached the
doorsteps of the Union Home Minister.
Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung ordered a high-level inquiry by a retired
judge into the cases raised by the CM Kejriwal. Kejriwal said after his
meeting with Shinde: "The aggrieved come to me when a crime takes place in
Delhi, not Mr. Shinde. So Delhi police should be under Delhi government. He
(Shinde) said that he will look into it". “We have demanded that the
Home Minister bring the Delhi Police under the control of the Delhi Government.
We also suggested that if the Centre wants to keep control of policing in the
New Delhi area, it can continue to keep control of the Delhi Police in the New
Delhi Municipal Council area, while it can transfer the responsibility of law
and order in the rest of Delhi to the Delhi Government,” PWD Minister Manish
Sisodia said.
After
meeting with the L-G, Sisodia said: “This government won’t make any excuses
like the Delhi Police is not under us. They will have to do their duty. Police
has to act. We will fix the police even if it doesn’t come under us”.
Kejriwal said the
Home Minister had assured that he would examine the demands and get back
to him within a few days. Later, asked whether Delhi government was
running away from its responsibilities, Sisodia countered that they were
actually trying to be more responsible to the people. After Kejriwal's
meeting, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi met the Home
Minister. Kejriwal reportedly gave a deadline till Monday to the Home
Minister saying if their demands are not met, the Delhi Ministers will stage
dharna in front of the Home Ministry.
Some Observations
Delhi Police is under the administrative
control of the Home Ministry.
Delhiites
are worried and confused now as the centre targets the Delhi state government.
. What is the use of having an elected Government with a
Lieutenant Governor when the Chief Minister is disabled from exercising
his right to give directives to the law enforcing machinery?
Obviously Delhi Police has its masters in the Central Government with the
Delhi Government bereft of any authority.
A
change in the system is the need of the hour for this country that has been on
a downhill plunge in all sectors be it character morality, fiscal health and
whatever else!
Central
government run by the Congress led UPA is trying to show the AAP
government in a bad light so as to claims better opportunities in the
parliamentary poll.
Central
government is eager to call the Delhi AAP government irresponsible and
incompetent but the new party and its government have to be appreciated for
trying to change the age old ways of dealing with problems, be it of any kind
in our society! The old ways have failed miserably to give the people what is
due to them in terms of safety, rights, etc.!
Unless
the central government works with Delhi government, it would be difficult for
Delhiites get maximum from the change in government and to breathe freely and
live as legitimate citizens enjoying fruits of development.
If
Central government tries to fail the Delhi state, perhaps, people of Delhi
would never forgive the ruling party now.
Not
o just Delhiites, but people of India watching the progress of Delhi government
as well would be upset.
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