New Delhi, Aug 19: In a new twist to the on-going controversy over the Statehood Bill for Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today accused the BJP-led Central Government of "perpetuating a fraud" while introducing the bill and said the Congress will not support it in its present form in Parliament "It is just a gimmick. What Delhi has got in the shape of statehood is a still born child. Fraud has been perpetuated on the people of Delhi and with their aspirations," Dikshit told reporters a day after the bill to grant statehood to Delhi was introduced by Home Minister L K Advani in Lok Sabha. Criticising the Centre for not consulting the "duely elected government" in the capital which had submitted two models of statehood to it, Dikshit said the bill with a clause providing the for "overriding and binding" executive powers over the state government negates the concept of statehood. However, Dikshit remained non-committal when asked if her party will support the bill if this clause was removed. Dikshit, who started her press-conference with a volley of questions for those who advocated this type of statehood for Delhi, claimed that the bill would not be able to change the duplicity of authorities and would not be able to provide better governance. "Rather the bill will retrograde Delhi and the progress made so far," she said.
"We had always maintained that Delhi, due to its special security concerns and financial needs, should have the law and order and municipal bodies," she said, adding, "We will also like to know whether Delhi has been given the status of 29th State of Union of India."
Bureau Report