Delhi News: Centre Approves Delhi Budget; Parliament Logjam Continues

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel suspended BJP legislator Vijender Gupta on Tuesday for a year till the next Budget session for allegedly obstructing the proceedings of the House.

Earlier in the day, Gupta had given a notice for breach of privileges over alleged leaking of Budget details.

▶(Manish Sisodia) complied with the notices issued to him. He joined the investigation… requirements of custodial interrogation no longer survive as this stage is already crossed: Manish Sisodia’s lawyer.

▶Nothing on record to show that Sisodia will be threatening the witnesses. There is nothing material to show that Sisodia can influence the witnesses: Manish Sisodia’s lawyer

▶The fact of one phone being changed on the same date the matter was referred to CBI for probe is mere coincidence, submitted Sisodia’s lawyer while arguing for bail in CBI case

▶ joined the investigation when I was called before CBI. I am a public servant. Two more public servants were made accused in this case and allegations against them are more grave than mine but they are sent without arrest: Sisodia’s lawyer while arguing for bail in CBI case

Rouse Avenue Court begins hearing on Manish Sisodia’s bail plea in CBI case related to Excise matter. Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan appearing for Manish Sisodia begins submissions.

“The opposition has refused to mend matters between the govt & opposition. This shows that the opposition doesn’t want the House to function & is misleading the country. I believe that the country will respond with a strong answer in the coming days,” Piyush Goyal, Union Minister.

The meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to end the stalemate in the House ended without any result as none of the parties refused to give up their positions.

According to sources, both the Congress and BJP refused to soften their stand. Leaders of all parties were present in the meeting.

Though Birla is said to have appealed to both the parties to allow the House to function, neither the ruling BJP nor the Congress showed any signs of softening their stance.

In a dramatic appearance before ED, ruling BRS MLC in Telangana K Kavitha on Tuesday came out of her car with a bag of mobile phone while on her way to the agency’s office. Her ‘proof’ came even as she took strong exception to the agency reportedly stating she had destroyed certain other handsets. READ MORE

he BJP in Delhi slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, accusing him of creating a row over the city government’s budget for “cheap publicity” and to hide his own mistakes.

Addressing a press conference here, working president of the Delhi BJP Virendra Sachdeva said Kejriwal was levelling allegations on the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to divert attention from the corruption charges faced by the city government.

“The Kejriwal government sat on the clarifications sought by the Ministry of Home Affairs for three days and then blamed the Centre for stopping the budget,” Sachdeva said.

BRS leader K Kavitha Tuesday said she has submitted the phones used by her so far to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as she appeared for questioning before the agency in the Delhi excise policy linked money laundering case.

In a letter to the ED, the 44-year-old MLC daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, said “These phones are submitted without prejudice to my right and contentions and larger contentions whether a woman’s phone can be intruded, in the teeth of her right to privacy”.

Before she entered the agency office, Kavitha flashed some mobile phones kept in a transparent sheet, and said she was going to submit them to the ED.

“Delhi LG approved Annual Budget for 2023-24 with certain observations & sent the file to CM. Now Delhi Govt has sent the file to MHA for approval of President. MHA has conveyed its observations to Delhi Govt & is waiting for the reply since 17 March,” said Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot on Tuesday said the budget file has been resent to the home ministry for approval, amid a row between the AAP dispensation and the Centre over the issue.

Addressing the Delhi Assembly, Gahlot said the budget was stalled on Monday. He said the file has been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs physically and through mail for approval.

The presentation of the Delhi government’s budget for 2023-24, scheduled for Tuesday, was put on hold, with the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation and the central government trading charges over allocations in various heads.

BRS leader K Kavitha appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday for questioning in the Delhi excise policy linked money laundering case.

The 44-year-old MLC daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao reached the ED office at 11:30 am.

This is the third deposition of Kavitha before the federal probe agency. She has spent around 18-19 hours at the ED headquarters in central Delhi during her two appearances on March 11 and March 20.

We hope they would respond to the clarification sought so that the budget is approved and presented…Why did it take the Delhi govt five days? Kejriwal should stop lying and unnecessarily blaming the Centre: Union Minister Anurag Thakur

“In continuance and furtherance of my repeated appearances before you & rendering all due assistance and cooperation, and despite the actions of the agency being ex facie malefide, I am today submitting all the earlier phones that I may have used in the past, and as sought by you, which could gather,” BRS MLC K Kavitha in a letter to ED.

Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot, while addressing the assembly on the Centre’s order to stall the budget said, “I am very sad to announce that the Centre govt put a stop to our budget. It was listed in the business list. LG knew it was supposed to be presented today”

He said the Delhi government sent the budget to MHA on March 10, but got to know about the Centre’s queries only at 2 pm on Monday.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought a hearing of the issue before the Constitution bench. “Very absurd thing being said now that Delhi assembly cannot discuss anything related to Delhi. The reference is already there to a Constitution bench,” said Singhvi.