New Delhi
\nThe planned allocations, earnings and expenditures of governments are \u2014 they should be \u2014 challenged in the legislature and other public forums by a vigilant Opposition. The task of the Opposition cannot be, however, to pose hurdles in the elected government\u2019s presentation of the budget.
\nThe delayed approval for the tabling of Delhi government\u2019s budget by the Union Home Ministry, with Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxena appearing to deliberately dawdle over it, reinforces the impression that procedural technicalities are being weaponised by the Centre for political ends.
\nThis latest episode is part of a larger pattern of attrition between the AAP government in Delhi and the BJP-led government at the Centre.
\nThe budget was scheduled to be tabled Tuesday morning. On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the Centre of \u201cstopping\u201d the budget.
\nUnder the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act and other provisions that delineate the powers of the Delhi government vis a vis the Centre, the budget is sent to the L-G for his comments and then, to the Union Home Ministry for approval.
\nKejriwal and Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot have accused the Ministry and Saxena of sitting on clearance for the document \u2014 it was only on Tuesday evening that the Ministry finally gave its approval. Of course, Saxena, who assumed office in May last year, has had several run-ins with the AAP government in the past.
\nThe tussle between the government and L-G has ranged from the latter sitting on proposals to send teachers for training to Finland to the AAP crying foul over bureaucrats bypassing the elected government and taking orders directly from Saxena. On the new excise policy, the L-G recommended to the Centre that a CBI investigation be conducted into the matter \u2014 it is in this case that former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has been arrested. No government is above the law. Yet, the use of central agencies to selectively target Opposition parties and leaders is disturbing in Delhi, as it is elsewhere.
\nAs the main Opposition party in Delhi, the BJP can take on the AAP in the assembly and elsewhere vigorously. But the actions of the L-G and the home ministry of the government it leads at the Centre create the perception that it is using all means, fair, not-so-fair and foul, to target its political opponent. Going forward, it is incumbent on all the players in the capital\u2019s political theatre to play their roles, while acknowledging their limits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi The planned allocations, earnings and expenditures of governments are \u2014 they should be \u2014 challenged in the legislature and other public forums by a vigilant Opposition. The task of the Opposition cannot be, however, to pose hurdles in the elected government\u2019s presentation of the budget. The delayed approval for the tabling of Delhi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-321206","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n