Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said in Rajya Sabha that the bill to replace an ordinance for handling the transfers and postings of officials in the Delhi government has been brought to safeguard the rights of the people and not to usurp the power of the AAP government.

Replying to a debate on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Shah assured that the Upper House the objective of the bill was "only and only to provide efficient, corruption-free governance and popular government." He also assured the members that there is not even a single provision that changes the status of the system prevailing since the Congress regime.

Shah asserted that the bill is constitutionally valid and it does not violate the Supreme Court judgement from any angle.

He said Delhi is different from other states because it houses Parliament, embassies, the Supreme Court and regularly many state heads from different countries visit the national capital. Therefore, Delhi was made a Union Territory.

"Delhi is a Union Territory with an assembly with limited powers," he said. In future, whoever fights elections in Delhi need to understand this character, Shah added.

He said, "We have not brought the bill to usurp power. This is to stop the encroachment of the Delhi government on the Centre's powers." The bill was passed by Lok Sabha last week.

The ordinance was promulgated by the central government on May 19, a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected government, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Delhi government had approached the Supreme Court for a stay on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated on May 19.

However, the Supreme Court last month refused to grant an interim stay on the Centre's ordinance. It referred the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, to a Constitution bench.

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