AAP won't send Jan Lokpal Bill to Centre, confrontation with UPA likely

Both the Union government and the Delhi government are wary of another impending confrontation between the UPA and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government, this time over the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The Aam Aadmi Party has stated its intention of passing the bill at a public session of the Assembly later this month. “We will table the bill in the special assembly session. We will not send it to the Centre,” Manish Sisodia, minister for urban development, is reported to have said.

Delhi government officials have said earlier that the law department’s opinion is clear: The bill will have to be sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs before presenting it in the special session of Assembly. This has naturally led to fears in the AAP government that it could get stuck, delayed or, worse, lead to a big confrontation between the UPA and AAP.

Now, with it appearing likely that the Delhi government will try to present the bill in Assmebly before it is vetted by the Centre, that confrontation is now almost certain. Congress leader in the Assembly Arvinder Singh has already said the Congress will not support “anything that is unconsttutional.

The Delhi bill is not short on controversy – it has kept the Delhi police and the DDA under the ambit of the Delhi Lokayukta, despite the fact that these agencies do not report to the Delhi government.

Given the nature of the promises made by party leaders, Central government leaders believe the Delhi Lokayukta could very well be draconian. officials are also concerned about whether the Delhi bill will be in consonance with the Union government’s Act, which was notified on 1 January.

If it is at variance, the Delhi government could be asked to modify or amend certain provisions, a delay that Kejriwal would want to avoid.

Still, the Delhi bill will require the assent of the President. A delay by the Centre in comparing the Delhi bill with the Central Act could snowball into another confrontation.