Shah to present Delhi services bill in RS today

New Delhi: With the clearance in the Lok Sabha following a walkout by the Opposition parties, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be presenting the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The bill replaces the ordinance on control of services in the national capital.

On May 19, the Centre promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi. The Chief Minister is one of the three members of the Authority, while the two others are bureaucrats. The decisions by the Authority are to be taken by a majority and, in the event of a dispute, the matter will be referred to the L-G whose decision will be final.

The AAP government in Delhi has challenged the constitutional validity of the ordinance in the Supreme Court, which has referred the plea to a Constitution Bench.

Replying to a debate on the bill in the Lok Sabha, Shah launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, saying it was not worried about democracy or the people, but only about saving its newly formed alliance. He also asserted that despite any Opposition alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would return with “complete majority” after the 2024 elections.

As the bill was being passed, the AAP’s lone Lok Sabha member, Sushil Singh Rinku, went to the well of the House, tore some papers and threw them in the direction of Speaker Om Birla. He was later suspended for the rest of the session.

Responding to criticism over the bill, he had said: “Everyone is talking about the rights of a state. What state? Delhi is not a state. It is a Union Territory. It is also the capital. It has been created under a special Article, from Article 239 to Article 242. The working of the Delhi administration has been accepted by the Constitution. We did not bring a Constitutional amendment on this, you did (through the 69th amendment). You are the one who did not give the rights. According to Article 239AA, Parliament has the right to make laws related to the Union Territory of Delhi”.

Besides the BJP’s allies, both the YSRCP and the BJD supported the bill, as announced earlier. The BJD and YSRCP have nine members each in the Rajya Sabha. With their support, the ruling side can cross the halfway mark in the Rajya Sabha too.

The combined Opposition along with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, which has declared that it will oppose the bill, may be less than 110.

The BJP alone has 92 members (including five nominated MPs) in the Upper House. Along with its NDA allies, the number will go up to 103. While the AIADMK has four MPs, the RPI (Athawale), Asom Gana Parishad, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), National People’s Party, Mizo National Front, United People’s Party (Liberal) have one member each. With the 18 members of the BJD and the YSRCP, and the ruling side will have 121 members.