The Congress has begun what seems to be a well-coordinated effort to get the Standing Committee on Home Affairs to return the New Delhi Municipal Council (Amendment) Bill-2010,after the main Opposition BJP rejected certain provisions in the legislation,which were drafted by the UPA government. The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee last year. In an unusual coincidence,nine Congress members of the Committee have written identical letters to Chairman Venkaiah Naidu,pointing out that the amendments in the current form as proposed earlier by the Home ministry can be accepted. The Congress has ten nominees in the 31-member panel,headed by senior BJP leader Naidu. The Trinamool Congress and the NCP constituents of the ruling UPA have one member each. Barring the one sent by Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal who has also made the same demand all the nine letters were identical,leaving no room for doubt that it was a coordinated effort. The BJP had opposed the Bill when it came up for discussion in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session. Efforts were taken to bring the BJP around,but Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj had insisted that it be referred to the Standing Committee. The Opposition had objected to some of the provisions,including reduction in the number of legislators in the Council from three to two,and increase in the number of nominated members in the body from two to four. The BJP,sources said,want an equal number of elected and nominated members on the lines of the Delhi Cantonment Board. In the letters,the Congress members pointed out that the proposed amendments by the Oppposition do not bring about a change in the governing structure of the New Delhi Municipal Council.
