Amid the chaos, both houses of the Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – were adjourned till 2:00 PM today.
This comes as the opposition carries out protests at the Parliament premises over the remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha regarding Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday morning moved an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha.
In his adjournment motion notice, Tagore accused Amit Shah of “insulting” Dr BR Ambedkar’s legacy and “hurting the sentiments of people.”
“I rise today to bring to the attention of this House the deeply offensive and disrespectful remarks made by the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, in the Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2024, regarding Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of our Constitution. These remarks not only insult Dr Ambedkar’s legacy but also hurt the sentiments of crores of people who revere him as the founding father of modern India and a symbol of social justice and equality,” Tagore stated in the notice.
This came after Amit Shah, in his address in the Rajya Sabha at the conclusion of a two-day discussion in Rajya Sabha on 75 years of the Constitution on Tuesday, lashed out at the Congress party and said that it had become a ‘fashion’ for the party to take Ambedkar’s name.
“If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar then they would have got heaven for 7 lives,” he said.
Tagore called Amit Shah’s statement “blasphemous” and an “attempt to undermine” Ambedkar’s role in drafting the Constitution.
Earlier, the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced, proposing the ‘One Nation, One Election’ policy, which seeks to hold simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bill has been sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.
The Speaker of Lok Sabha announced the result of the vote on the introduction of the bill. The vote showed 269 members in favour (Ayes) and 196 against (Noes). This followed Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal’s formal introduction of the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, on ‘One Nation, One Election’ and his agreement to send the bill to a JPC in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Shah said, “When the One Nation, One Election Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, PM Modi had said that it should be sent to the JPC for detailed discussion. If the Law Minister is willing to send the bill to JPC, the discussion on its introduction can end.”
Meghwal also introduced a bill to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, as per the day’s schedule. These amendments aim to align assembly elections in Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Puducherry with the proposed simultaneous elections.
The bills have drawn criticism from the opposition, who say that they (the bills) target the basic structure of the Constitution and allege that they pose a threat to India’s federal structure and aim to centralise power. (ANI)
