NEW DELHI: Parliament on Monday approved the contentious Delhi services bill that sought control over appointments and transfers of bureaucrats, with its passage in the Rajya Sabha by 131-102 after a heated debate.
Voting happened through paper slips as the digital board in the Upper House developed a snag. As expected, BJD and YSRCP members voted with the NDA in favour of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, which replaced the Delhi ordinance, tilting the scales away from the Opposition.
Significantly, the Opposition got fewer votes than its anticipated 108 while the NDA got more than its expected 128-129. The Opposition’s proposal to send the bill to a parliamentary select committee for vetting was rejected by voice vote. The proposed legislation was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on August 3 by voice vote.
Union home minister Amit Shah, while replying to the debate, tore into the Opposition’s protest against the bill. “The Delhi Service Bill does not violate the Supreme Court order that says the elected government is the boss in Delhi,” he asserted, adding that it was not the BJP but the Congress that has brought it first. “Now the Congress is opposing the bill only to appease the AAP by sitting on its lap,” Shah remarked, drawing strong objections from the Opposition.
Earlier, AAP members had alleged that bill would set a precedent of stripping Opposition-ruled states of their legitimate powers. Shah countered it, saying: “This Bill has nothing to do with other states or UTs. It is meant to save the rights of the people in Delhi.”
Taking a dig at the AAP, Shah said the party was born after opposing the Congress. “But today they (AAP) are seeking support from Congress to oppose the legislation. The moment the bill is passed, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal will take a U-turn,” Shah said.
Opposition members put up a strong protest against the bill, terming it an attempt to kill democracy. AAP member Raghav Chadha said the BJP, after losing many elections, including in Delhi, has resorted to the bill, adding leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani had advocated full-edged statehood to Delhi. Congress leader P Chidambaram slammed the BJP saying that it neither had constitutional nor moral authority to pass the legislation. Congress member Abhishek Manu Singhvi called it a retrogressive legislation that is completely unconstitutional.
238 total strength of Rajya sabha
131 votes in favour of the bill
102 votes against it
Probe into names on select panel
RS Deputy Chairman Harivansh announced a probe into complaints of at least 4 MPs that their names were included in a proposed select panel on the Delhi services bill without their consent