Delhi Congress strongly condemns Central Government’s move to control the Delhi Government through officials by making the elected Government a mere puppet—Devender Yadav.

 MPNN Correspondent 

NEW DELHI, March 1, 2025–Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Shri Devender Yadav strongly condemned the Central Government’s move to control the Delhi Government through officials by overlooking the elected Government to make it a mere puppet, as the Central Government had  done in other States. He said that it was clear from the fact that at the behest of the Central Government, the Finance Department of the Delhi Government issued an order on 25 February 2025, making the approval from the Finance Department compulsory for the approval of all departmental expenses exceeding Rs 1 crore.

Shri Devender Yadav said that the office memorandum of 7 August 2019 issued by the Finance Department of the Delhi Government had said that the order was issued by the Lieutenant Governor, but now it has been defused by the order of an official of the budget division. He said that this shows that the Centre wants to run the Delhi government through the officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, overlooking the powers of the Lieutenant Governor holding a Constitutional post. He said that the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee will strongly oppose this undemocratic decision of the BJP Government to run the Delhi Government through backseat driving.

Shri Devender Yadav said that according to the office memorandum of 7 August 2019, the permission of the Finance Department was required only for the expenditure and estimates of projects costing more than Rs 50 crore, while approval from EFC was required for schemes of more than Rs 100 crore, but this decision has been changed by the order of an ordinary officer.

Shri Devender Yadav said that  due to the Assembly elections in the Financial Year 2024-25, the code of conduct was in force  which reduced government spending compared to other years, and in such a situation, the latest order is clearly a conspiracy to promote corruption and control financial resources arbitrarily.

Shri Devender Yadav said that  BJP  had promised to approve, in its very first Cabinet meeting, it election guarantee of transferring Rs 2500 to the accounts of women, but the Delhi Government has not yet implemented this promise. He said that  issuing such orders in the excuse to cut the expenditure of the Finance Department shows that the purpose is to pursue the plan to extort from the contractors, and not enforcing financial discipline.

Shri Devender Yadav said that it is the right of the people of Delhi that the elected government works independently, but the BJP Government at the Centre has now tried to run a Delhi government through the officials of the PMO by reducing the Delhi Government as a mere puppet. Emphasizing the need for decentralization of financial power, Shri Devender Yadav said that it is mandatory to ensure smooth, transparent and responsible regime, and  financial decentralization will accelerate the decision-making process, reduce administrative bottlenecks, promote transparency and accountability, and protect democratic values.