• Source:JND
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Chandigarh Bill Row: The Union Home Ministry has confirmed it will not bring the proposed bill on Chandigarh before Parliament in the forthcoming Winter session. In response, the Congress party took aim at the Modi government, accusing it of yet another example of its "first announce, second think" approach to governance.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, pointed out that just the day before, the Parliament Bulletin for the upcoming Winter Session had listed the Constitution Amendment Bill for introduction. This bill would have paved the way for the appointment of a full-time Lieutenant Governor (LG) for Chandigarh.

Congress leader noted that the proposed bill had been met with strong opposition from the Congress and other parties in Punjab, where the Governor also serves as the Administrator of Chandigarh. "Yet another example of the Modi Government's FAST approach to governance - First Announce, Second Think (sic)," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

However, the Union Home Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, clarifying that it no longer intended to present the Bill during the Winter Session.

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The Home Ministry explained that the proposed bill, which had earlier been included in the provisional list of bills for the upcoming session starting December 1, was intended to "simplify the law-making" process for the Centre. It also stressed that the proposal would not alter the traditional arrangements between Chandigarh and the states of Punjab and Haryana.

This comes a day after a bulletin of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha listed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2025 among the provisional list of 10 bills for the upcoming session beginning December 1.

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The Bill that proposes to bring Chandigarh under the ambit of Article 240 of the Constitution, which empowers the president to make regulations for the UT and legislate directly, sparked sharp reactions from leaders in Punjab.

"A suitable decision will be taken only after adequate consultations with all stakeholders, keeping in mind the interests of Chandigarh. There is no need for any concern on this matter. The central government has no intention of introducing any Bill to this effect in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament," the ministry said in a statement.

"The proposal only to simplify the central government's law-making process for the Union territory of Chandigarh is still under consideration with the central government. No final decision has been taken on this proposal," a spokesperson of the ministry said, allaying concerns raised on the matter.

The ministry said the proposal in no way seeks to alter Chandigarh's governance or administrative structure, nor does it aim to change "traditional arrangements between Chandigarh and the states of Punjab or Haryana".

Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. The Bill seeks to include the Union territory of Chandigarh in Article 240, in line with other UTs without legislatures, such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Puducherry (when its legislative assembly is dissolved or suspended).

Article 240 of the Constitution grants power to the president to make regulations for the peace, progress and effective governance of the Union territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli; and Daman & Diu and Puducherry.

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