Shah and his MoS absent, Lok Sabha fails to take up NCT Bill

While ruling party members targeted the Opposition for continuing the logjam in the ongoing monsoon session, pointing out that the latter disrupted ministers, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, when the Bill was introduced on Tuesday, leaders of Opposition parties blamed the ruling party for the adjournment Wednesday and called it a “mockery of Parliamentary proceedings”.

On Wednesday, Speaker Om Birla decided to stay away from presiding over the proceedings. Sources said Birla has expressed deep displeasure and decided not to come to the House until the members behave in keeping with the dignity of the House.

BJP MPs claimed that Birla was upset with the behaviour of Opposition members on Tuesday when they “disrupted intervention by ministers, after many of their (Opposition) leaders got a chance to present their views over the NCT Bill at the time of its introduction.”

The Bill seeks to replace the NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, on control of services in Delhi. On Tuesday, when it was introduced in Lok Sabha, the Opposition had alleged that the Bill aims to take away Delhi Assembly’s powers. But Shah had said that all objections raised by the Opposition are “political” in nature and “do not have any Constitutional basis”.

On Wednesday, Lok Sabha was adjourned abruptly in the morning as Opposition members shouted slogans, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement on the situation in Manipur. When it met at 2 pm, Kirit Solanki of BJP, who was in the Chair, called the ministers to table papers listed in the day’s business. With the NCT Bill and the statutory resolutions from 12 Opposition leaders listed to oppose the Bill, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stood up to speak. Immediately, BJP MPs were up on their feet and tried to shout him down.

At this, Opposition MPs, on their seats for the first time in the ongoing session, stood up — and some of them then walked to the centre of the House and asked why BJP members were protesting. As the latter continued their protest, TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee was seen walking up to Opposition MPs in the Well of the House and persuading them to return to their seats.

As they turned back, the House was adjourned for the day. Before adjourning the proceedings, Solanki urged Opposition members to maintain decorum.

Sources in the government said the contentious NCT Bill, for which the government already has adequate support from members in both Houses, will be taken up in Lok Sabha on Thursday.