(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Union government said on Sunday that the proposal on inclusion of Chandigarh in Article 240 of the Constitution was 'still under consideration.' The government also clarified that it had 'no intention' of introducing any Bill to this effect in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament.

The statement came after uproar - mostly from political parties in Punjab - following a bulletin from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha suggesting that the Centre would introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2025 in the upcoming session, which begins on 1 December.

What is the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025?

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to include the Union Territory of Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution.

The proposal aims to place Chandigarh in the same category as other Union Territories, which lack their own legislatures and have the President empowered to frame regulations for them.

What would it mean for Chandigarh?

Currently, Chandigarh is a Union Territory (UT) and shares its capital with Punjab and Haryana. The Governor of Punjab holds an additional charge as the Administrator of Chandigarh.

By bringing Chandigarh under the ambit of Article 240 of the Constitution, the government has learnt to pave the way for the city to get an independent administrator, like the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) in many other UTs.

Currently, Article 240 encompasses the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry.

Article 240 of the Constitution empowers the President of India to make regulations for certain Union territories.

Whenever the bill is passed, Chandigarh will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the Punjab Governor in the manner it is now. The move may lead to the appointment of a lieutenant governor to run the city.

It would enable the President of India to frame regulations for Chandigarh, as well as for other Union Territories, under Article 240 of the Constitution.

What did the Punjab political parties say?

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann slammed the Centre, accusing it of trying to“take away” Punjab's capital.

“This amendment is against the interests of Punjab. We will not allow the conspiracy being hatched by the Central Government against Punjab to succeed in any way. Chandigarh, built by razing our Punjab's villages, belongs solely to Punjab. We will not let our right slip away just like that. For this, we will take whatever steps are necessary,” he wrote in a post on X.

Congress's Punjab chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also opposed the move.

"Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and any attempt to snatch it away will have serious repercussions", he said.

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the bill is“against the interest of Punjab” and would amount to the Union government“going back on all commitments made to Punjab regarding the transfer of Chandigarh to the state.”

“The previous Congress governments in Delhi have discriminated against Punjab and deprived us of our capital city. This Bill further seeks to remove whatever little administrative and political control Punjab has over Chandigarh and would permanently extinguish Punjab's claim to Chandigarh as its capital city,” he wrote in a post on X.

Why did Centre rethink?

Political parties in Punjab saw the proposal as clearing the way for the appointment of an independent Administrator or Lieutenant Governor (L-G). Since 1984, the Governor of Punjab has been the Administrator of Chandigarh

It was primarily due to the political uproar over the proposed bill from parties in Punjab.

In fact, a report in The Indian Express stated that even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit in Punjab had expressed reservations regarding the proposal.

But before the Centre's clarification, there were murmurs of discontent in the state unit. Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakha spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, the report said.

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“On Sunday, the core committee of the Punjab BJP held a virtual meeting and conveyed their opposition to the MHA after which the Ministry issued a clarification. We stand fully committed to Punjab's interests and communicated our stand to the MHA. We are glad that they quickly clarified the confusion,” state BJP general secretary Anil Sarin was quoted as saying in the Indian Express.

Why did the Punjab BJP oppose the move?

The AAP government, the Punjab government, and the Centre have been at loggerheads over a host of issues such as the Panjab University row, deployment of Central paramilitary forces at projects maintained by the Bhakra Beas Management Boar d (BBMB), and flood-related assistance.

This amendment is against the interests of Punjab. We will not allow the conspiracy being hatched by the Central Government against Punjab to succeed in any way.

The fresh political row over the proposed Bill comes at a time when the BJP is trying hard to make inroads in the state and is all geared up to contest the next month's Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections independently.

(With agency inputs)

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