Uproar in Rajya Sabha over Right to Information (Amendment) Bill

Opposition parties on Thursday created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha after the government rejected their demand to refer the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to a Select Committee of the Upper House.

Soon after the house met at 2 pm, Deputy Chairman called Union Minister Jitendra Singh to move the Bill which 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. Through their amendments, they demanded to refer the Bill to the Select Committee.

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.

Rejecting the opposition's demand, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he is taking up the Bill and conventions allows it.

He, then, asked Jitendra Singh to move the Bill. He then moved the Bill amid the din.

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.

However, the Deputy Chairman said the Bill and amendment motions can be discussed together.

He then allowed the Derek O'Brien, CPI-M's E Kareem, CPI's M V Rajiv Gowda and CPI-Ms KK Ragesh moved their amendments.

After they moved their amendments, Harivansh called Congress' Abhishek Manu Singhvi to initiate the debate on the Bill.

Soon after, the opposition members trooped near Chairman's podium and started sloganeering.

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, Harivansh adjourned the house for 15 minutes. The House was again adjourned due to the ruckus till 2.58 p.m.

When the House reassembled, the scenes were no different. The opposition members were in the well and BJP's Vinay Sahasrabuddhe was speaking on the merits of the Bill.

Some of the opposition members tore pieces of papers and threw it on the reporter's table. Harivansh warned the agitating members but they continued with their protest.

Amid the din, YSRCP's Vijaysai Reddy spoke and supported the Bill.

When the agitating members did not give heed to the Deputy Chairman request, he adjourned the House till 4.09 pm.

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.

The Lok Sabha has passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill that allows the Central government to notify the term of office for the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) with the Opposition slamming the measure as diluting the provisions of the legislation.