National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 passed in Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha on Thursday, August 3 passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill-2023 to replace services ordinance by voice vote. It was tabled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier today as a replacement to the ordinance that was introduced by the Centre on May 19. The bill was passed after a nearly four-hour-long debate which was replied to by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

If passed by the Rajya Sabha as well, the bill will transfer the control of transfer and postings of bureaucrats from the hands of the Delhi government to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly opposed the ordinance since its introduction and has been persuading the opposition parties to vote against the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Reacting to the passing of the Bill in the lower house of the Parliament, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted recalling PM Narendra Modi's promise of making Delhi a full-fledged state.

"Every time BJP promised to give full statehood to Delhi. In 2014, Modi himself said that on becoming the Prime Minister, he would give full statehood to Delhi. But today these people stabbed the people of Delhi in the back. Don't believe anything of Modi ji from now on," Kejriwal tweeted. 

On the other hand, Shah stated that the I.N.D.I.A alliance will collapse and predicted that Kejriwal will abandon the bloc once the bill is passed. 

'It is a disastrous bill': Congress leader Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the Delhi Services Bill 'disastrous' and cleared the party's stance against it. "Found it a shameful Bill for many reasons. First and most important is, that you are introducing basically a Constitutional amendment without calling it that...How can you do that? Secondly, you have a situation in which there is a No Confidence Motion pending in the House," Tharoor told ANI. 

"While that is pending, you are bringing such a fundamental, substantive policy change. You are not supposed to do that...The Bill is really bad in law. It is basically going to undo the principle of Parliamentary accountability because a minister will not be responsible for his officials anymore because the officials will actually outrank the minister and be able to overrule even the CM. It is a disastrous Bill and we oppose it very strongly," he further said. 

While the Congress opposed the Bill, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) abstained from the voting whereas the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) staged a walkout. "After a lot of deliberation, party chief Mayawati distanced herself and we are staging a walkout over this Bill. We are not standing with anyone," BSP MP Malook Nagar said.

As a sign of protest, AAP member Sushil Kumar Rinku tore a copy of the bill and threw it towards the chair. He was subsequently suspended by Speaker Om Birla for the remaining part of the Monsoon session for unruly behaviour.

(This is a developing story)