New Delhi: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal is going Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha have come together to vote against a bill to replace the central government’s ordinance giving more administrative powers to the office of the Lieutenant Governor. Nevertheless, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the center looks comfortable in terms of numbers despite the support of traditionally friendly parties such as the YSR Congress Party and the Biju Janata Dal.
The bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament during the upcoming monsoon session.
On 19 May, the central government promulgated an ordinance, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 to create a new statutory authority – the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) – which will be headed by the chief minister. and two IAS officers, to decide by majority vote all matters relating to transfers and postings of bureaucrats in the national capital.
However, the Ordinance – which repeals the May 11 SC judgment Giving greater legislative and administrative control over “services” to the Delhi government – LG gives final say in the matter.
The current strength of Rajya Sabha is 238 with seven vacant seats – four from Jammu and Kashmir, two nominated and one from West Bengal. The majority mark in the Upper House is 120.
While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is comfortably placed in the Lok Sabha, it does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and is dependent on friendly opposition parties such as the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). When an important bill comes up for voting.
At present, the strength of the NDA in the Upper House is 106. Of this, the BJP has 93 members, including five nominated members who are affiliated to it – Mahesh Jethmalani, Rakesh Sinha, Sonal Mansingh, Ram Shakal and Ghulam Ali Khatana.
The remaining five nominated members – Ranjan Gogoi, Virendra Hegde, PT Usha, V. Vijayendra Prasad and Ilaiyaraaja – though not affiliated to any party – are likely to support the BJP, taking the NDA’s total strength in the Upper House to 111. .
In contrast, the opposition count – excluding the YSRCP, BJD, BSP, TDP and Janata Dal (Secular), which together have 21 members – is 106. This figure is included in the 10 members of the AAP in the Rajya Sabha.
YSRCP, BJD, BSP, TDP and Janata Dal (Secular) were among the opposition parties that did not boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. However, he is yet to clarify his stand on the ordinance issue, as it involves state authority.
If the YSR Congress and the BJD – with nine members each in the Rajya Sabha – go along with the BJP, the NDA’s numbers will swell to 129, well beyond the majority mark.
In the past, YSRCP and BJD have either supported the BJP or abstained from voting, and this time too, it may play out the same way.
A senior YSRCP leader told ThePrint that a final decision on who the party will support in the Rajya Sabha on the ordinance has not been taken and it will be decided by party president and Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“But our stand is that partial statehood is entirely appropriate for Delhi as it is the capital and hosts heads of states. It is justified to give special status to Delhi for diplomatic reasons and to maintain law and order. It cannot get full statehood. We will support the BJP on this issue.
The BJD, which has in the past supported the BJP on controversial laws such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the law criminalizing triple talaq, the amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. LG has not yet given any commitment on whether he will support the AAP on the bill.
A senior BJD leader, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint that it was too early to take a stand on the matter, but reiterated that the party is equidistant from both the BJP and opposition groups.
We give issue based support to BJP. On the proposed bill to replace the ordinance, our party president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will take the final decision,” the BJD leader said.
Although the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (Secular), which have one member each in the Rajya Sabha, have not made any commitment so far, they may go with the BJP or stay away from it. . These three parties also did not join the opposition group of 21 parties, which on Sunday announced to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament House by PM Narendra Modi.
The TDP has gone soft on the BJP of late, and it is rumored that the party was trying to revive its alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections. A former ally of the BJP, the TDP walked out of the alliance in 2018 demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
TDP Rajya Sabha MP K. Ravindra Kumar told ThePrint, “The party leadership is yet to take a decision on the matter [of the Delhi ordinance], We will examine the ordinance and only then take a stand. Besides, the BJP or any opposition party has not approached us for support.
If all the five parties – YSRCP, BJD, BSP, TDP and JD(S) decide to support the BJP, the NDA’s strength will go up to 132.
Opposition party in a weak position?
Among opposition parties, so far the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have openly declared their support to the AAP against the Centre’s ordinance giving more power to Delhi is of. Lieutenant Governor.
While the Trinamool Congress has 12 members in the Rajya Sabha, the Shiv Sena has three, the NCP four and the JD(U) five. Apart from the four, AAP is likely to get support from other like-minded opposition parties such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. ,DMK), NCP, Left parties, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), among others.
Together, the number of members from these parties, the Congress and the AAP, takes the opposition’s tally to 106.
However, as of now, the Congress, which is the largest opposition party in the Rajya Sabha with 31 members, has so far remained tight-lipped on whether they will vote against the proposed bill, when it comes up in the Rajya Sabha.
On 22 May, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal tweeted that the party would consult state units and other like-minded parties on the ordinance issue before taking a final decision. The Delhi and Punjab units of the Congress are cautious about forging an alliance with the AAP and have conveyed this to the party high command. Kejriwal is likely to meet Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi in the coming days to garner the support of the party.
Opposition parties have recently joined hands on several issues. On Wednesday, 20 ‘like-minded’ opposition parties including Congress, AAP and Trinamool Congress – announced They boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament House.
But if the opposition group manages to garner the support of both the BJD and the YSRCP, its tally will reach 124, which is slightly above the majority mark, but looks unlikely at the moment. If all opposition parties including YSRCP, BJD, BSP, TDP and JD(S) take a stand against the NDA on the ordinance, their number will go up to 127.
Despite efforts being made by various opposition parties to form a united front against the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the parties have their own interests and may not prefer to side with the AAP in the Rajya Sabha to defeat the Ordinance Bill. ,
(Editing by Anumeha Saxena)