Bill to give more power to Delhi L-G introduced in Rajya Sabha, to be discussed today
New Delhi, Mar 24: Rajya Sabha will take up on Wednesday a bill which seeks to make it clear that the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant Governor", as the House witnessed repeated brief adjournments during the day following uproar by opposition parties which termed the proposed legislation "unconstitutional".
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday, also makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the lieutenant governor (L-G) before any executive action.
"We have discussed with leaders of all parties and arrived at a consensus that the House will meet tomorrow at 10 am ... First we will discuss the Finance Bill, NCT and other Bills," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said.
Joshi also informed that there would be no Zero Hour, Question Hour and Lunch Hour.
Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments as opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (APP) members protested against the bill.
The uproar in the Upper House of Parliament started when Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy to move a motion for the consideration of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
AAP member Sanjay Singh protested against allowing the motion, saying his notice has been pending in the House.
The deputy chairman assured the AAP member that his notice would be considered after the motion is moved, but Singh called it "unconstitutional".
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said that the bill is dangerous and it will grab rights of the elected government of Delhi and destroy democracy.
He alleged that the government wants the L-G as government and the elected dispensation as his "servant".
Harivansh adjourned the House till 5.24 pm.
As the House reassembled, the protest by opposition members continued, prompting the chair to adjourn the House for a second time till 5.40 pm. It was adjourned again till 5:50 pm and then till 6:10 pm.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan had urged the Chair to extend proceedings till 6.30 pm to discuss the bill.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
