RS adopts motion to nominate 10 members to joint panel to look into bills for removing PM, CMs

New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The Rajya Sabha on Thursday adopted a motion to nominate 10 members to the Joint Committee of both Houses which will scrutinise the three bills for the removal of prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers on arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, amid vociferous protests by the Opposition.

The Upper House adopted a motion to concur with the recommendation of the Lok Sabha in joining the 31-member Joint Committee to look into these bills. 21 members will be from the Lok Sabha.

The motion to send members to the Joint Committee was adopted by the Upper House with voice vote, amid stiff opposition and protests by the Opposition, which also tore copies of the draft legislation and strongly protested in the Well of the House against the move.

As Deputy Chairman Harivansh called Home Minister Amit Shah for moving the motion to concur the recommendation of the Lok Sabha to refer the bills to Joint Committee and nominate the members, Opposition benches were on their feet and were shouting slogans.

They also raised slogans against the Home Minister and TMC members and some members of the Congress trooped into the Well holding placards against Shah. Later, some Opposition members including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge tore a copy of the motion in the house.

The protests and sloganeering became louder soon after Shah rose to move the motion, which was adopted by voice vote soon thereafter. The motion was adopted within two minutes of the House reassembling at 2 PM.

Kharge sought to raise the issue of bills being sent to the Joint Committee, but the Chair did not allow saying he can speak on the new bill seeking to ban online gaming, which was being taken up by the House at the time. The Opposition MPs also sought to raise the SIR issue, but were disallowed by the Chair.

"That this House concurs in the recommendation of the Lok Sabha that this House do join in the Joint Committee of the Houses on the Bill further to amend the Constitution of India; the Bill further to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 and the Bill further to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 and resolves that ten Members of this House be nominated by the Deputy Chairman to serve on the said Joint Committee," the motion read out by Shah said.

Shah had introduced the three bills in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, which was adopted with a voice vote.

The Lower House had adopted the resolution to refer the bills to a Joint Committee of Parliament comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

The committee has been mandated to submit its report to the House in the Winter Session, which is likely to be convened in third week of November.

Shah introduced in Lok Sabha the three bills, drawing fierce protests from Opposition MPs who tore up copies of the draft law and marched close to his seat shouting slogans.

In a charged atmosphere in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, several Opposition MPs spoke against the introduction of the bills, claiming they violated constitutional principles, targeted federalism, turned the jurisprudence 'innocent until proven guilty' on its head, were open to misuse for political reasons and threatened to turn the country into a police state. PTI SKC PRS NKD SKC ANU ANU