Who Runs Delhi?

India’s top court is in a battle with the central government over who runs Dehli. They have come down on the side of the Dehli government.

Unlike other states, India’s capital city’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-run local government does not currently have full administrative powers.

The AAP has consistently campaigned for greater autonomy for the state because control of the state’s police force, land, and law and order rests with the centre.

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that “real power must lie with an elected government” and that Lieutenant Governor (LG) was “bound by the advice of cabinet”.

This has been welcomed by many who hope this will end the argument between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Supreme Court’s five-judge constitutional bench unanimously ruled that the Delhi government is the highest authority in the state. There had been doubt cast on this following the Delhi high court verdict in August 2016 that stated the LG was in charge.

The court stated Delhi would not be granted “complete statehood”, as the AAP had demanded. While the state and central governments will continue to share administrative powers, the LG has no right to overrule the cabinet or play an “obstructionist” role.

The court added that the LG could only make independent decisions in matters relating to land, police and public order.

Mr Modi on Delhi?

The federal government led by Mr Modi has backed the LG. They have been consistent in saying they must have the final say in Delhi’s administration because Delhi is the national capital.

The verdict iwill come as a significant blow for Mr Modi.

Ever since Mr Kejriwal’s landslide victory in Delhi state elections in February 2015, his AAP government has been challenging central government.

The relationship between the two parties only worsened as 13 AAP lawmakers were arrested between 2015 and 2017 by Delhi police on various charges, from alleged rape to forgery to extortion.

Mr Kejriwal alleged that it was a smear campaign by the BJP government. There has been no progress in most of the cases since then.

Mr Kejriwal’s confrontation with Mr Modi has also taken some unpleasant turns. Writing on Twitter in December 2015, he called the prime minister a “coward” and a “psychopath” after alleging that his office had been raided by the country’s federal investigation agency on Mr Modi’s orders.

“When Modi couldn’t handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice,” he said at the time.

But Mr Kejriwal alleged that his government was not allowed to function by LGs who kept delaying crucial bureaucratic processes and paperwork.

He has also repeatedly accused the LG of being a pawn in the hands of the BJP. He made the allegation against both the current LG, Anil Baijal, and his predecessor, Najeeb Jung.

Can the AAP government deliver?

After the verdict was announced, experts said AAP could now stop playing the “victim card” and get back to running the state.

Mr Kejriwal, an austere 49-year-old former civil servant who once described himself as an anarchist, has had a rollercoaster ride since his spectacular political debut in December 2013.

He was in office at the head of a minority government for only 49 days before he resigned in protest amid a row over an anti-corruption bill. Nine months later, he defied expectations and won a landslide victory in the Delhi state elections.

But some experts have said the battles with the LG and the centre have marred the AAP government’s record.

All this political jostling and fighting has led to disillusionment amongst many of the voting population in Delhi.

In June 2015, for example, more than 15,000 tonnes of waste were left on the streets of East Delhi as municipal council workers refused to collect rubbish for 10 days after claiming non-payment of salaries.

What is clear is that Mr Kejriwal now has a fantastic opportunity to focus on politics and getting things done for Delhi. And much needs to be done.