Centre deliberately misinterpreting SC verdict: Sisodia
New Delhi, Aug 9 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday accused the Centre of "misinterpreting" the Supreme Court verdict on the Delhi government's powers vis-a-vis the Lt Governor whom he dubbed a "pawn".
Holding a copy of the Constitution of India in his hand in the Assembly, Sisodia compared the central government with the British Raj.
Sisodia said that the Centre shouldn't misinterpret the Constitution because that is how the British were kicked out and the "L-G may be sacked too".
Addressing the Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, Sisodia said: "According to the Constitution and the apex court order, your pawn (L-G) does not have any independent decision-making powers. He should only act on the aid and advice of the state government."
Sisodia, a senior Aam Aadmi Party leader, claimed that just as the British thought they were indestructible, the Centre too is thinking so by "openly defying the Supreme Court orders".
The 5-Judge Constitution Bench on July 4 ruled that the executive powers in Delhi -- except for law and order, police and land -- were vested with the elected government and the L-G was bound to act on the "aid and advise" of the government.
Lt Governor Anil Baijal, however, kept the 'services' subject with him by citing a 2015 Home Ministry notification which, in turn, referred to the constitutional provisions to keep 'Services' out of the Delhi government's purview.
The Services Department handles posting and transfers, and the appointments of IAS and other officers with the Delhi government.
Terming 'services' as the most crucial element in the smooth governance of Delhi, Sisodia cited examples from the past when he claimed Baijal "deliberately obstructed" the Aam Aadmi Party government's work.
"We had (come up with) a loan scheme to help over 400 students in their education, but the L-G waived it by telling us to take permission from other departments," Sisodia said on the fourth day of the Assembly's monsoon session.
Similarly, he said, the L-G made one or the other excuse regarding the Arvind Kejriwal government's Mohalla Clinics project, delaying it by 101 days, and the funds for the families of martyrs by telling the government to get permission from the Home and Defence Ministries.
Sisodia also presented the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2018-19. These were later approved by the Assembly.
These include grant of Rs 104 crore for General Administration Department, Rs 20 crore for administration of justice, Rs 4.34 crore for social welfare, and Rs 4.75 crore for development.
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Stopping Iran of greater importance than oil prices: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday said stopping the “evil empire” in Iran was of greater importance to him than oil prices, which have been ruling high since the US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28.
Iranian attacks on ships and oil infrastructure in West Asia have pushed crude prices above USD 100 a barrel.
“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stopping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Launched on February 28, Operation Epic Fury against Iran has divided political opinion in the US, with Democrats demanding public hearings with testimony from top Trump administration officials.
White House officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have held classified briefings with lawmakers since the attacks on Iran began. However, there have been claims that Trump has been sending mixed signals on the progress achieved in the war.
"Here we are well into the second week, and it is still the case that the Trump administration cannot explain the reasons that we entered this war, the goals we're trying to accomplish, and the methods for doing that," Democrat senator Elizabeth Warren was quoted as saying after a classified briefing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a post on X, accused the “left-wing media” of pushing a “fake narrative” about mixed messaging about the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.
“From the beginning, President Trump and his entire team have consistently laid out clear objectives to the American people about what the US Military seeks to accomplish through these ongoing successful major combat operations,” Leavitt said.
“Destroy the terrorist Iranian regime’s missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. Annihilate the terrorist Iranian regime’s navy. Ensure the regime’s fellow terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region and attack our forces; Guarantee the terrorist Iranian regime cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said, spelling out the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.
Extending support to the war, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday, the war could be "generational in terms of its impact."
“Not only for that region, but for the entire world, because they continued – Iran – to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. They are on the way to nuclear capability, and they're holding that entire region hostage and American interests as well,” Thune said at a weekly press conference.
"So I think this was an important mission to accomplish, and hopefully it'll be accomplished soon,” Thune said.
