Capt Amarinder asks Badal to clarify stand on federalism Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh today asked the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to clarify his stand on the issue of federalism in the backdrop of his attempts to force the centre to overrule a Haryana legislation which was very much within the power and jurisdiction of that state according to the Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. “All through your political life spanning over six decades you have claimed to stand for a strong federal structure with stronger states and now at the fag-end of your political career why are you trying to undermine the same principles you claimed were so dear to you all your life?” Capt Amarinder asked Mr Badal while referring towards his “kiddish obduracy” in trying to coerce the centre to set aside the Haryana SGPC Act passed by that state for the management of the gurdwaras there. The former Chief Minister pointed out, according to the entry 28 in the Concurrent List of the Schedule VII of the Constitution of India, the Haryana government, or for that matter any state, was empowered and authorised to legislate on, “charities and charitable institutions, charitable and religious endowments and religious institutions”. He pointed out, management of gurdwaras, which Haryana SGPC is mandated to do, comes very much under the definition of the “religious institutions”. Besides, he added, Haryana government was also authorised to legislate on the issue in accordance to the Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966. Capt Amarinder pointed out, all through his political career Mr Badal has claimed to stand for strong federal structure and also opposed the abrogation of Article 370 despite being in alliance with the BJP. “Is it just for his personal interest of having control over the gurdwara funds in Haryana that he has abdicated all that he stood for?” he asked while asserting that Mr Badal needs to clarify. “Or is it like his characteristic double stand on Article 370 which he seeks to protect but is supporting a party that seeks to abrogate it?” he asked.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 12:52:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015