Passage of Delhi Services Bill is ‘unconstitutional’, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday slammed the government after the Delhi Services Bill was passed in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday slammed the government after the Delhi Services Bill was passed in Lok Sabha, saying that it is against the Constitution to snatch the powers of an elected government.

He also slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving election speech in the Lok Sabha and said that he should feel ashamed for the situation in Manipur, where the violence erupted on May 3.

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Addressing the media outside Parliament, Chowdhury said: “Snatching the powers of the elected government of Delhi is unconstitutional. It is against the Constitution to snatch the powers of an elected government, whichever party is in power.”

Hitting out at Shah, the Congress leader said: “When we were discussing this in the Parliament to reply after the Home Minister spoke, and when I rose to reply and started to speak that we expected that he should feel ashamed on Manipur, you should feel ashamed on the situation that then our right to speak was snatched.”

“Then what should have we done? We are the opposition. We don’t get the chance to speak in the House and then the Home Minister started with his election speech… instead of speaking on the issue and start giving election speeches we had no option but to walk out,” Chowdhury added.

His remarks came after the Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill through voice vote, after the opposition staged a walkout.

Amid high drama, the lone AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku was suspended from the remaining tenure of the Monsoon session by Speaker Om Birla after he threw some papers on the chair while standing in the Well of the House.

The Home Minister launching an all out attack on the opposition, while responding to the discussion on the Bill, said in Lok Sabha that it was only concerned about saving it’s opportunistic alliance and that is why had participated with full strength to oppose the Delhi services bill, forgetting it’s concerns about Manipur in the process.