In a fiery parliamentary debate over the Delhi Services Bill, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha launched a scathing attack on the Union Government, urging the BJP to heed the desires of their own leaders, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, who campaigned for full statehood for Delhi.Chadha accused the BJP of disregarding federalism and altering the Constitution without the need for a Constitutional amendment bill, alleging that their motivation stemmed from the frustration of consecutive election losses in Delhi.The contentious Delhi Services Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah presenting it at the Lower House for consideration.Several opposition parties, including the AAP and Congress, have voiced their objections to the bill, and Raghav Chadha used the platform to take a stand against the bill, drawing inspiration from a poem by renowned poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. Chadha termed the bill as a political fraud, a constitutional sin, and an administrative logjam.Chadha said, “I am speaking not only on behalf of the people of Delhi but on behalf of the people of the entire country. Rarely before today, an unconstitutional, illegal piece of paper would have been brought to the House through a bill.”Raghav Chadha draws Mahabharata parallel to highlight AAPs Delhi Services Bill fightDrawing parallels from the Mahabharata, he recounted a story from the epic, stating, “I would like to mention the part of Mahabharata, which has been written by poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar in a very nice poem, in which Lord Shri Krishna went to Hastinapur as a messenger of peace, taking the proposal of peace from the Pandavas.”Chadha then shared lines from Dinkars poem, which roughly translates as “God came to Hastinapur to save Duryodhana from destruction and brought the message of the Pandavas. Five grams, keep all your land.”“We will eat there happily, will not raise the asi on the family. Duryodhan could not give that too, could not take the blessings of the society, instead he went on to bind Hari, which was an impossible practice. When destruction befalls Manuj, first Conscience dies,” he continued.Bringing his address to the bill itself, Chadha emphasised, “This poem is the essence of this bill brought in Delhi. We have come to you today to plead for justice, we have come to demand our rights, we do not want anything more than that. This bill is a political hoax. From 1977 to 2015, the BJP fought for full statehood in Delhi.”After ending the poem, Chadha mentioned Yuyutsus change of heart in the Mahabharata and asked for the parties from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to lend their support in AAPs fight against the bill. Notably, both the YSRCP and BJD have supported the Delhi Services Bill, along with TDP from Kerala.Raghav Chadha further recalled the BJPs historical stance on the issue of statehood for Delhi, pointing out that the party had advocated for full statehood from 1977 to 2015.“In their [BJPs] manifesto of 1989, there is mention of full statehood. The same thing was in the manifesto of 1999 as well. Lal Krishna Advani had brought a bill in Parliament to give rights to Delhi. Today The BJP has destroyed the 40 years of hard work of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani to make Delhi a full-fledged state,” Chadha said.“Jawaharlal Nehru had said that Delhi should not get full statehood. I want to tell Amit Shah ji, dont be Nehruvadi, be Advaniwadi. Today you can have full statehood for Delhi. Today, there lies an opportunity to grant full statehood to Delhi. Please fulfil the wishes of Advani ji.”BJP doesnt care what SC says: AAP MP Raghav Chadha questions motive for Delhi Services BillChadha accused the BJP of insulting the Supreme Court by tabling this bill, saying, “What crisis came that you had to go against a Supreme Court order This is an insult of the countrys top court. The BJP given a message that it doesnt care what the Supreme Court says, they have challenged the Supreme Court.” He also pointed out that the equivalent ordinance was passed by the Central Government barely a week after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the AAP government.Chadha also questioned the motivations behind the bill, claiming that it was a strategic move by the BJP to undermine the AAP governments success.“What is the real reason for bringing this bill Assembly elections were held in Delhi six times in the last 25 years. BJP has lost badly in all these elections. Whereas AAP registered a landslide victory twice. People could not win elections for 25 years and will not be able to win elections for the next 25 years against Arvind Kejriwal as well, so this bill has been brought to end this government,” Chadha said.“Their only aim is to finish the government. The bamboo will not remain, and the flute will not play. The Supreme Court itself has said that the ordinance can be brought only in an emergency or an odd situation. Which emergency situation led to the bringing of this ordinance They are not even obeying the order of the Supreme Court. They are taking away our constitutional rights,” he continued.Referring to provisions within the bill, Chadha raised concerns about the shift of power from the Chief Minister to the Lieutenant Governor, accusing the Bill of destroying the triple chain of accountability.Chadha said, “This bill says that the officers of Delhi will report to the Lieutenant Governor instead of the CM. They will obey his orders. I want to ask that when the people of Delhi are facing problems of water, electricity, education… if it happens, will they go to the Lieutenant Governor Does the public even know where the Lieutenant Governor lives Which election has he contested Why has the Lieutenant Governor been elected and sent by the people All these powers are being given to the Lieutenant Governor.”In a broader appeal, Chadha targeted the Biju Janata Dal and YSR Congress Party, cautioning them against supporting the central governments agenda at the expense of local autonomy. “I would like to tell the ruling parties of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh that you are supporting the Central Government under some compulsion. There is a lion [compulsion] or something,” he said.
