- People closely following the fortunes of the nation’s political landscape must be aware of how the differences between the Centre and the Delhi government over who controls the services aspect of the administration have panned out till now. The matter was in the Supreme Court since the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took considerable pain and spent a humongous amount of time as well as resources on the case, which it thought was right. As you are aware, Delhi, being a Union Territory, has a different administrative setup as compared to the states, and hence, service aspects were under the Central Government administered through the Lieutenant Governor. It’s another matter altogether that the LGs often proved to impede smooth functioning through constant interference.
PC: HT Archive
- The bad blood between the Bharatiya Janata Party and AAP often turned acrimonious when day-to-day administration could not be functional owing to these differences. The matter kept dragging on for years, and the recent Supreme Court verdict will hopefully settle the acrimonious dispute between AAP’s Delhi government and the LG. As mentioned above, the issue of who controls administrative services is a reaffirmation of federalism and the principle that people’s choice of government must matter. Note that India’s capital has been hosting an unedifying and unwanted spectacle, and the SC’s clear verdict should leave all parties in no doubt about where their power begins and ends. Understandably, the political rivalry between the BJP and AAP will sharpen now.
- Nonetheless, in a democracy, that is acceptable. Nobody in Delhi wants fights like those found in schoolyards every day. The Constitution Bench’s ruling on the question of whether the Delhi government has legislative and executive authority over the city’s bureaucracy sparked claims of interference from subsequent LGs, and LGs have responded with accusations of impropriety and worse. The intense public conflicts harmed governance since they trapped the bureaucracy in the middle of feuding leaders. One aspect of the tale involved LG nullifying, rejecting, and revoking appointments made by the Delhi government. Other dramatic events included a walkout of administrative officers in response to a claim that an AAP legislator had physically assaulted an officer.
PC: TOI
- Remember that, a first, the CM and three ministers spent the night camped out at LG’s office or residence, demanding that he tell the striking cops to end their protest. Delhi has had enough of this, so it makes sense. The Permanent Executive, which consists of unelected civil service officers, may act in ways that disregard the will of the electorate, according to the Supreme Court, which has stated that the GOI taking over the executive powers of an elected government would completely abrogate the federal system of governance and the principle of representative democracy. That is a lesson we can all learn. Following the SC ruling, there has been talk that the AAP is once again in charge of the Delhi government. That individuals are the true boss is, without a doubt, the more important issue. Long live democracy!
