The Hindu : Statehood issue to be taken to PM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Statehood issue to be taken to PM

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN.19. Upping the ante against the BJP-led Central Government on the issue of Statehood, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, today declared that she would soon lead a delegation of her Ministerial colleagues and legislators to meet the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, to press for early passage of the Statehood Bill in Parliament.

Ms. Dikshit said she had sought time from the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to represent the case of Delhiiites and also express their concern over it. The Statehood issue, likely to be one of the key planks in the coming Lok Sabha polls, has been pending with the Centre for the past few months.

Ms. Dikshit said the matter, referred to the Standing Committee of Parliament headed by the senior Congress leader, Pranab Mukerjee, had also submitted its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs and there was no reason why there should be a delay in passage of the modified Bill.

Expressing concern over the fate of the pending Bill, she said the continued speculation about the dissolution of Parliament had cast a shadow over its fate. It is understood that the NDA Government will hold a brief session of Parliament in the first week of February and there was no reason why this Bill cannot be passed during this session if the intentions of the Centre were honourable. Describing the passage of the Bill as detrimental to the development of Delhi and welfare of Capital's citizens, the Chief Minister said the delegation would try and impress upon the Centre the urgency for passage of the Bill by the present Lok Sabha.

She said if the Bill was not passed during this Lok Sabha tenure, then it would lapse and everything would have to be done afresh that would lead to a delay in giving more powers to Delhi. "If the Bill is allowed to be lapsed, then it would deprive the people of Delhi the opportunity to get redressal of their outstanding problems and continue to expose them to the exploitation by the land and building mafia operating under the garb of the Delhi Development Authority. This would also be a great opportunity lost to put an end to the multiplicity of authorities that has often led to constant delays in the execution of infrastructure projects," she added.

Stating that the BJP was trying to wriggle out of the situation and it was a betrayal of the people of Delhi, Ms. Dikshit said the Congress would not allow them to backtrack on their promise. They would have to be answerable to the people as to why they could not fulfil their promise and impress upon the Central Government to empower the people of Delhi.

The Delhi Government had done its bit by getting a resolution passed in the State Assembly and this was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

However, the delay was at the doorstep of the Centre and it should explain to the people why it was sitting on this issue.

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