Jan Lokpal Bill unlikely to be tabled in today

Even as a defiant Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is keen on going ahead and tabling the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi assembly, sources say that it is possible that the Bill may not be tabled on Thursday. The Speaker cannot approve tabling of the Bill without the Lt Governor's approval. Government sources say they will circulate the draft of the Bill to MLAs.

The Opposition has threatened not to let the House run if the Delhi government tries to push the Bill through. AAP has gone back to its favourite method of referendum to gather support for the Bill and is holding Jan Sabhas across Delhi on Jan Lokpal and Swaraj Bill.

Meanwhile, the Union Law Ministry has said that the Delhi government has to take prior consent of the Centre before passing such a bill. Kejriwal will also seek a sense of the House on whether to hold a special outdoor assembly session on February 16 or not.

Kejriwal has said that he has a list of Bills passed by the previous Congress government in Delhi that hadn't taken the prior consent of the Centre. Questions are being raised as to whether Kejriwal is deliberately pushing the Congress to withdraw support from his 2-month old government.

"If the Congress and the BJP vote against the tabling of the Bill, then most probably the government will have to go," said AAP leader Prashant Bhushan.

"The Law Ministry has given its opinion on the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, the power is legally vested in the L-G. The L-G has the right to advise the Delhi government not to table the Bill," said Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal.

A confrontation between L-G Najeeb Jung and Kejriwal has been buiding over the past few days with both failing to arrive at a consensus on whether the Delhi government can table Bills without the consent of the Centre. Kejriwal, in a strongly worded letter to Jung, had reminded him of his oath to the Constitution and Jung wrote back citing the rule book.

The BJP and Congress, both have been saying that they want due process to be followed. "Doesn't Arvind Kejriwal know that he has to give two days for discussion on a Bill," asked Delhi Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely.

In a 70-member House, the AAP now has just 27 members. It does not have the numbers to pass its pet Bill without the support of Congress and Independents.

The AAP government is determined to go ahead and table the Bill in the assembly even risking criticism that it did not follow due process. Its strategy is that if it fails to even table the Bill, it will put the blame on the opposition BJP and the Congress on which it depends for outside support.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi High Court had also sought a response from the Delhi government on whether there is a provision to hold an assembly session in public.