The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will seek the support of like-minded political parties to counter the BJP-led Central government’s “dictatorial” ordinance on the control of services in Delhi, Punjab Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Bhagwant Mann said on Tuesday.

Talking to newsmen in Chandigarh after flagging off 98 emergency response vehicles for the Punjab Police, Bhagwant Mann accused the Centre of trying to infringe upon the rights of individual states and claimed that by promulgating a “dictatorial” ordinance it wants to supress the duly-elected government in Delhui.

Mann said that AAP will seek support from political parties across the country in a bid to stall the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha.

On Friday, the Central government promulgated an Ordinance to form a National Capital Civil Service Authority to handle the transfers of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and also matters of disciplinary proceedings against them.

The BJP-led Centre’s ordinance essentially circumvented last week’s Supreme Court order which gave the control over services, excluding those related to police, public order, and land, to the elected government in Delhi.

On Monday, the AAP asked all non-BJP parties to unite and help defeat the bill in the Upper House of the Parliament.

Terming it “agni pariksha” (trial by fire), the AAP urged all Opposition parties to come together and to save the country’s democracy and Constitution.

On May 11, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation, stating that the AAP regime has legislative and executive power over services— including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), except law and order, police and land—and the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) is duty-bound to comply with the elected government’s decision in this matter.

The Delhi government scored a major victory today in its arduous power-struggle with the BJP-ruled Centre as the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation, stating that the AAP regime has legislative and executive power over services— including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), except law and order, police and land—and the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) is duty-bound to comply with the elected government’s decision in this matter.

In a unanimous verdict, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Apex court which comprises of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud along with Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, ruled that the Delhi government must have control over services and the Lieutenant Governor is bound by its decision.

The bench observed that the Union Territory of Delhi has ‘sui generis’ (unique) character and has legislative and executive power over services and stated that if a democratically elected government’s responsibility towards the legislature and the electorate becomes diluted if it was denied control over its officers and the power to hold them to account.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has claimed that the youth who left Punjab for settling down in foreign countries are now leaving America, Canada, Australia are now returning back to establish their businesses and start-ups in the state.

The Punjab government said that if the youth return back  from different countries, then the government will initiate them help to start their business. CM Mann said that the youth is seeing better opportunities in the state, the reason for their return.

CM Bhagwant Mann said that big companies are investing  in Punjab to start their business that will lead to development of the state and youth will get new employment opportunities.

CM Mann further stated that the companies, factories and business houses are coming to Punjab seeing the success of the Punjab Police in maintaining a peaceful environment in the state. The Chief Minister lauded the handling of law and order by the state’s Police. He assured the business houses inviting them to the state to invest and setup their companies saying law and order situation will be completely under control.  

On May 12, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had taken a big decision for the industry and investors. With the claims of promoting industrial development, the government had announced green stamp paper to facilitate entrepreneurs to set up their units in the state. With this, the purpose of the land purchased or sold can be easily ascertained.

Regarding this, Mann said that a new system has been introduced to promote ease of doing business for the entrepreneurs who want to set up their units in the state.

The Punjab CM informed that after purchasing the stamp paper, the industrialist would get all necessary approvals from all the departments within 15 days to set up his unit.

CM Mann further said that the green colored stamp paper would symbolize that the industrialist has paid the full fees for the required clearance for the industry.

He announced that the same color coding would be implemented in housing and other areas to ensure optimum utilization of land resources on the one hand and provide convenience to the people on the other. Mann envisioned that this path-breaking idea would make Punjab a leading state in the industrial sector.

The Reserve Bank of India’s decision to withdraw Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation may have come as a shock to many. But in Punjab’s Moga, residents have welcomed it saying it will eliminate corruption.

The Bhagwant Mann government in the state has been taking on corruption in the state ever since it came to power and has not even spared its ministers for corruption.

Speaking on the RBI decision to demonetise Rs 2000 notes, a resident saw it as a direct assault on corruption since the high-denomination note is much sought after as payment in underhand deals.

Other residents said it will speed up business since it would be easier to deal with smaller denomination notes as looking for change for Rs 2000 notes had turned into a bothersome chore.

A resident noted that the time given for changing notes till September 30 is a good call. The Narendra Modi government seems to have learned its lesson from the 2016 demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes when the new notes took time to reach the people and damaged the economy as well, said a resident.

Besides with Rs 2000 notes already rare in transactions, it would indicate that a lot of these notes have been hoarded by people at home, said many people who spoke to APN. 

The one group of people who seem to have genuine worries are the arhatiyas, the commission agents at mandis.

“If the Rs 2,000 is discontinued, it will create problems for us because most of the farmers come to us and demand big notes. We have already lakhs of Rs 2000 notes, now in one day we have been told we can only deposit notes worth Rs 20000, which is basically 10 notes. We will have to spend too many days standing in queues at banks to exchange the notes,” said an agent.