Kejriwal, Jung headed for showdown over Jan Lokpal

The future of the special assembly session for the Jan Lokpal Bill hangs in balance as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung have come face to face on the issue. 

According to sources, Jung is taking the opinion of solicitor general Mohan Parasaran in which he had termed the bill as ‘unconstitutional’ seriously.

  

‘In a meeting of the officers of LG Secretariat on Friday, Jung was of the view that in the light of the opinion of solicitor general, the Bill should not be allowed to be tabled in the Delhi assembly. 

The officers were of the view that L-G now holds the key as he is the authority to approve the special session out of the assembly premises,’ said a senior officer who attended the meeting. 

‘The L-G will also not allow the Bill to be tabled in the House before it is cleared by the Central government a pre-requisite of the Constitution under section 239AA, Para 3C. ‘The government is violating all the norms of the Constitution. They don’t want to pass the law but just fool the public to get votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha election,’ said Harsh Vardhan, leader of opposition.

Kejriwal, in his strongly-worded letter to the L-G has also raised doubts over the Jung’s future plans. 

‘I know they will pressurise you not to allow me to conduct special session of the house in Indira Gandhi Stadium and also not allow me to table Lokayukta Bill in the house,’ Kejriwal wrote.

The chief minister further blamed the L-G for serving the interests of Central government by taking the view of the solicitor general and leaking it to media without his knowledge. ‘I have taken the views of constitutional experts and the Bill is within the permit of the Constitution. If Delhi government needs orders of Central government to present each and every Bill in the assembly what is the meaning of an elected government,’ asks Kejriwal in his letter.