Amit Shah moves contentious Delhi services bill in RS; Congress calls it 'undemocratic'

Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday (August 7) has moved the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha.

This comes after the the contentious bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 3 August by voice vote.

There are a total of 245 seats in the Rajya Sabha, of which eight are vacant. The majority mark required to pass the bill in Rajya Sabha is 119. Taking into account the parties who have extended support to AAP, including the Congress, the Opposition can muster up 105.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to replace the ordinance brought by the Central government in May. This ordinance had excluded ‘services’ from the legislative competence of the Delhi legislative assembly.

The Delhi ordinance was promulgated by the central government a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected government, headed by CM Arvind Kejriwal.

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Meanwhile, commenting on the Delhi Services Bill, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said BJP’s approach is to control by ‘hook or crook’. “This bill is completely unconstitutional, it is fundamentally anti-democratic, and it is a front-term assault on the regional voice and aspirations of the people of Delhi. It violates all principles of federalism, all norms of civil service accountability and all models of assembly-based democracy,” he said.

While AAP MP Raghav Chadha said that the entire INDIA bloc will make all possible efforts to stop the Delhi Services Bill in Rajya Sabha today.

LS and RS adjourned

Both houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday (August 7) after the Opposition staged noisy protests demanding a discussion on Manipur, with the treasury benches in the Rajya Sabha seeking a discussion on crimes against women in Congress-ruled Rajasthan.

A visibly upset Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha till 12 noon, within minutes of the House resuming business after the weekend break, due to protests over the Manipur ethnic violence.

The House was adjourned again till 2 pm as both the treasury, and opposition benches raised slogans over a report on Chinese funds coming to India.

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As soon as the House met in the morning, the opposition members were on their feet and came to the Well of the House over the continuing violence in Manipur and demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on it.

Birla asked the opposition MPs whether they were interested in taking part in the Question Hour and let the House function. “This House is not for sloganeering. Do you come to the House only for sloganeering?” he asked.

As the opposition members continued their protests and sloganeering, the speaker adjourned the proceedings.

MPs demand discussion on Manipur in RS

The logjam continued in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, leading to its adjournment till 2 pm.

The treasury benches disrupted the proceedings insisting on a debate on crimes against women in Rajasthan.

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The opposition MPs retorted with a demand for discussion on the situation in Manipur.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal alleged that the opposition was not interested in discussing Manipur.

He told Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar that the government was ready for a short duration discussion on crime against women in Rajasthan.

Amid the ruckus, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm.

Earlier, as soon as the Upper House met, Congress member Rajani Patil’s suspension was revolved by voice vote. She had been suspended for video-filming the proceedings and sharing it outside in violation of the rules.

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The Manipur violence has rocked proceedings in Parliament ever since the Monsoon session began on July 20.

The speaker says the opposition cannot decide who will reply on behalf of the government to the debate.

The opposition has moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, apparently aiming to force the prime minister to speak on Manipur.

(With inputs from agencies)