New Delhi: As the Rajya Sabha took up the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to discuss on Thursday, the opposition parties created chaos in the upper house after the government rejected their demand to refer the bill to a Select Committee.
The Bill was opposed by the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Left party members. The opposition members sought from the chair to first dispose of the amendments moved by Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien and other opposition members.
The proposed changes in the present RTI Act by the Centre involves the salaries and tenures of Information Commissioners at the states and centre. Presently, Information Commissioners have five-year tenures, but after the amendment, they will have ‘terms as may be prescribed by the central government’.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the moving of the bill was opposed by the opposition members without going into its details. “This is the house of elders. How can you come to any conclusion without discussing the Bill? Discuss the nitty-gritty of the Bill. I am yet to explain the body of the Bill,” he said.
Congress’ Anand Sharma countered him, saying that Bill needs to be presented before a Select Committee and motions in this regard have been moved.
“Rajya Sabha is not obliged to blindly endorse the Bill passed by the other house. If another House has not referred the Bill to a select committee…law-making is a serious business… house is not meant for government business only…other issues of public importance are there… law-making cannot be done in a hurry and every law affects this society,” he said.
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Rejecting the opposition’s demand, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he is taking up the Bill and conventions allows it.
Objecting the moving of the Bill, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the chair first dispose of the motions of amendments moved by the members that seek the Bill to be referred to Select Committee.
The Deputy Chairman urged the agitating members to participate in the discussion and said they can send the Bill through their right of voting. But the opposition members did not give it heed.
As the din continued, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned numerous times.
Earlier in the day, the Opposition parties met and identified as many as seven Bills which they want to send to Select Committees for scrutiny.
On Monday, Lok Sabha had passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to amend the present RTI Act amid opposition allegations that it was being diluted.
(With ANI inputs)