30 MPs Missing In Rajya Sabha, Government Embarrassed During Bill Vote

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 01, 2017:  At its weekly meeting of Parliamentarians this morning, ruling party BJP is expected to discuss the absence of many members of the party in the Rajya Sabha, where the government suffered acute embarrassment on Monday when the opposition managed to push amendments to a bill on backward classes. 

At last week’s meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, not for the first time, asked party MPs to ensure they are present at all times when proceedings are on in the two Houses of Parliament, stressing that it is the duty of treasury benches to ensure the passage of the government’s legislative agenda.

On Monday, over 30 MPs from the BJP and its allied parties, including several ministers, were missing when a Constitution amendment bill on backward classes was changed after amendments moved by the Opposition were passed by the House, where the government is still in a minority and needs to ensure that its members are present in full strength when bills are taken up to be able to put up any resistance to an opposition challenge.

The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017, which provides for setting up of a National Commission for Backward Classes, was passed without the main clause, which relates to its composition.

The amended bill will now have to be returned to the Lok Sabha for its fresh approval. The Lower House had already passed the bill, but the opposition, with its majority in Upper House, had forced it to be referred to a Select Committee for more scrutiny.

The panel had a few days ago submitted its report on the bill, meant to upgrade the Backward Classes Commission from a statutory body to a constitutional body, which will give it powers equal to a court to summon people and inquire into incidents of violence and discrimination against backward classes.

After a day-long discussion on Monday, Congress members Digvijaya Singh, BK Hariprasad and Hussain Dalwai had moved an amendment that said all the five members of the commission will have to be from the OBC community, and one of them has to be a woman and another from a minority community.

The government objected to this, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying that such a provision, which bars the entry of members of other communities in the commission, will make the law unconstitutional. The minister said what the Congress members wanted could be looked into when the rules under the new law will be framed.

Under the insistence of the Congress members, the bill was put to vote and the amendment suggested by the Congress was passed. The opposition refused to let the government call in its missing MPs.

Any bill that seeks to amend the Constitution requires the support of a two-third majority of those present in the house and voting.

Courtesy: NDTV