BJP accuses Delhi govt of 'constitutional violation' over not setting up sixth finance commission

     New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday accused the AAP government for "violating" the constitutional provisions over not constituting the Sixth Delhi Finance Commission.
     The tenure of the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission ended on March 31, 2021 and according to the constitution, the sixth commission should have been constituted by now but it is yet to be done, Delhi BJP MLA Vijender Gupta said at a press conference.
    "During the tenure of the fifth commission, the Delhi Municipal Corporation was trifurcated and accordingly the report was prepared, but now MCD is a single body and that is why the sixth commission is important," Gupta said.
     Reacting to Gupta's allegations, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the Delhi government wants the immediate constitution of the sixth finance commission, and alleged that it "is BJP's lieutenant governor who is blocking its implementation".
     "The BJP's LG must apologise to the people of Delhi for the conundrums he has created around such an important issue, and promptly implement the sixth finance commission," the AAP said.
     Meanwhile, a letter has been written by Gupta to the Delhi Lt Governor seeking his intervention in the alleged "constitutional violation" by the AAP government.
     A BJP delegation will meet the LG soon as the sixth Delhi Finance Commission has not been constituted despite being due since April 2021, Gupta said.
     He said if needed the BJP leaders will also meet the President demanding "dismissal" of the AAP government over the violation of the Constitution.
     Article 243(I) of the Constitution mandates formation of a State Finance Commission every five years, and Article 243(Y) mandates the commission to review the municipalities' financial position and make recommendations, he said.
     The Delhi government had accepted the recommendations of the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission but failed to implement it and continued to allocate funds based on the Third DFC recommendations. This, too, was a blatant constitutional violation by the AAP government, he charged.
     Gupta also accused Delhi Minister Atishi and Mayor Shelly Oberoi of misleading people by claiming that the central government is not releasing funds to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
     The MLA said, "The same Kejriwal government used to claim there was corruption in the MCD when the BJP was in power and, therefore, would not give it money but now, with the AAP in power in the corporation as well, Delhi ministers are accusing the central government of not providing funds."
     There is no constitutional provision for the central government to directly provide funds to the municipal corporation for its needs, he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)