The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has issued a three-line whip for all its Rajya Sabha MPs as the Delhi services bill is likely to be presented in the Upper House on Monday.
“All members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha are requested to kindly remain present in the House from 11 am onwards until adjournment of the House from 7th August to 8th August, 2023, without fail and support the party stand. This may be treated as MOST IMPORTANT,” the whip stated.
Congress has also issued a whip for its members to be present in the Upper House on Monday, supporting the Delhi government against the bill.
The Delhi services bill will be tabled in Rajya Sabha today for discussion and vote. The contentious bill – which seeks to replace the ordinance promulgated in May after the Supreme Court granted control of Delhi’s bureaucracy to the elected government – had already been passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, August 3.
Last week, the opposition briefly suspended its protests in the Lok Sabha, allowing a five-hour-long discussion on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. However, the bill was passed by voice vote on August 3 amid a walkout by the opposition parties.
While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) commands a majority in the Lok Sabha, it does not have the requisite numbers in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP has 92 Rajya Sabha MPs while the NDA commands 105 seats in the 237-member House.
The strength of the Opposition INDIA bloc, which faces a litmus test as it seeks to defeat the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, stands at 99 and may reach 106 if the Bharat Rashtra Samiti of K Chandrashekar Rao decides to side with the Opposition with its 7 MPs. The tally required to reach the halfway mark for either side is 119.
According to the news agency PTI, Congress leader and Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi is likely to start the debate from the Opposition side in the Rajya Sabha.