Day six of the monsoon session of the Parliament is likely to be stormy with Opposition parties set to wear black to the House as a mark of protest against the Manipur issue. This comes a day after the leaders of newly-formed INDIA moved a no-confidence motion against the government.
The floor leaders of the Opposition parties will also meet the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, in Parliament to discuss important issues.
Meanwhile, the Congress issuing a whip asking all its Rajya Sabha MPs to be present in the House on Thursday has triggered speculations that the government may table the bill to replace Delhi ordinance in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The Congress' chief whip in Rajya Sabha issued the three-lined whip, saying "very important issues will be taken up for discussion in Rajya Sabha tomorrow i.e. Thursday, July 27, 2023".
"All members of the Congress Party in the Rajya Sabha are requested to kindly remain present in the House from 11 am onwards till the adjournment of the House on Thursday, July 27, 2023, without fail and support the party stand," the whip said. This may be treated as "most important", it added.
Not just Congress, but even AAP have issued whips to their MPs to be present in the House throughout Thursday.
The Centre on Tuesday cleared the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, to replace an ordinance that gives control of Delhi's bureaucratic machinery to the Centre. Though officials aware of the matter indicated that the bill will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the coming week, it wasn't clear when.
If tabled on Thursday, ruckus can be expected in the Parliament as the INDIA grouping, which includes the AAP, will fiercely fight the bill. The Centre has enough strength in both houses to clear the bill.
The new bill was formed by the central government on May 19 after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Before the verdict, the transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the Lieutenant Governor.
According to a circular issued by the government, the bill is being brought as a result of the pronouncement of the order of the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court in which the legislative and executive power over “services” shall vest with the GNCTD. "The conclusions drawn in Constitution bench pronouncement pose certain challenges to the smooth administration of GNCTD which need to be addressed through appropriate legal interventions," the circular read.
