Rajya Sabha passes Delhi services bill. 131 votes in favour, 102 against

Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 replacing the ordinance on transfers and postings of senior officers in the Delhi government with 131 votes in favour against 102.

Replying to the debate on the contentious bill in Rajya Sabha, Union home minister Amit Shah asserted that the bill in no way violates the Supreme Court judgement. Shah said the bill is aimed at effective, corruption-free governance in the national capital. He also assured the members that there is not even a single provision that changes the status of the system prevailing since the Congress regime.

The minister defended the ordinance alleging the AAP-led Delhi government transferred officers of the vigilance department as liquor scam files were with it.

“So much haste was shown concerning the vigilance department by Delhi government because it had files related to 'excise policy scam' and 'sheesh-mahal',” he said.

Taking a swipe at Congress for joining hands with the Aap Aadmi Party, Shah said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will quit the opposition bloc INDIA once the Delhi services bill is passed. He said that the bill has not been brought to impose “Emergency” or take away the rights of people.

"Earlier, there were no fights over transfer postings in Delhi, no CMs had any problems…In 2015, a govt came up after an 'Andolan'…Some people said that the Centre wants to take power into its hands. The Centre doesn't need to do so as the people of India have given us the power and the right," Shah said.

Earlier today, AAP MP Raghav Chadha said the bill is a “political fraud, constitutional sin and will create an administrative logjam”. Chadha said that the BJP had been demanding statehood for Delhi for almost 40 years and promised the same in its election manifesto. The AAP leader said that the BJP has destroyed the 40 years of hard work of its leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani to make Delhi a full state.

Taking potshots at Union home minister Amit Shah invoking first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to back the bill, Chadha said the BJP leader should become ‘Adavanivadi’ and not ‘Nehruvadi’.

Congress member Abhishek Manu Singhvi opposed the legislation saying it is a "retrogressive bill" that is "completely unconstitutional".

He also said it is a "frontal assault on the people of Delhi and violates federalism".

Drama over motion moved by Raghav Chadha

A drama ensued in the House when the opposition's motion to send the contentious bill to a select committee was taken up. Some members, including BJD MP Sasmit Patra and BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, said their names were included in the motion moved by AAP MP Raghav Chadha without their consent.

“Now it is a matter of investigation how the motion was signed,” Shah said.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said that a probe will be ordered into complaints of some Rajya Sabha MPs on the inclusion of their names without consent.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last week.