NEW DELHI: The Congress and the BJP are divided over the presence of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment ) Bill, 2023, on Monday. While the opposition has praised the presence of Singh, the BJP has termed it “embarrassing”.
The Rajya Sabha debated the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, commonly called Delhi services bill and moved by home minister Amit Shah, on Monday for over six hours till late in the evening before voting took place on it.
Singh, 90, attended the Rajya Sabha and silently watched the debate while sitting on a wheelchair at the entrance of the House. Later, he also took part in the voting process of the bill. The former PM is a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan since August 20, 2019.
His term ends on April 3, 2024. This is his sixth term in the Rajya Sabha and the first one from Rajasthan.
Earlier, Singh had been a member of the Upper House for five consecutive terms from Assam from October 1, 1991 to June 14, 2019. He was the PM of the country for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014, heading the Congress-led UPA government.
While the opposition MPs lauded Singh’s presence in the House, the BJP attacked the Congress for making him sit for long hours to keep their alliance alive. “The country will remember this craze of the Congress! The Congress kept a former Prime Minister sitting on a wheelchair late at night in the House even in such a state of health, and that too just to keep its dishonest alliance alive! Terribly embarrassing!”