In a keenly contested vote on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 on August 7 night, the Opposition fell short by 29 votes, but sees it as a psychological victory in which the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) grouping stood united, keeping its ranks intact.
This is the first defeat for the newly formed INDIA bloc of Opposition parties. By some estimates, it could also be the first time an Opposition bloc has crossed the 100-mark in a division in the Rajya Sabha.
The last time the Opposition came within a striking distance of the Narendra Modi government in the Rajya Sabha was in July 2019 when, after a lengthy debate, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, better known as the ‘Triple Talaq Bill’, was voted on. The Opposition got 84 members to vote against the Bill as opposed to the government’s 99 members who voted in favour of it. Back then, according to the Opposition’s own internal analysis, there were at least 30 absentees.
The Opposition pulled out all stops this time to ensure a full attendance. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came in a wheelchair and sat in the House for more than two-and-a-half hours, waiting patiently to cast his vote. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) patriarch Shibu Soren was also assisted into the House. Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MP Bashistha Narain Singh arrived in an ambulance.
The Opposition ranks were depleted by at least three votes — Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who is under suspension; JD(U)‘s Harivansh, who chaired the division and thus couldn’t vote; and the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) fourth member, Praful Patel, who has switched allegiance and was absent during the division.
Two prominent absentees included Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MP Jayant Chaudhary, whose wife had undergone an operation, and independent MP Kapil Sibal, who was in Chennai.
“We fought this battle sincerely. I have been told that this is the first time an opposition bloc has crossed the 100-mark in a division in Rajya Sabha. It is a moral victory for us,” the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Rajya Sabha parliamentary party leader Derek O’ Brien said.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj K. Jha called the vote a battle between “legislative majority” and “moral majority”.
“There are moments in parliamentary history where different numbers have different stories to convey. The passage of this Bill should be seen from the lens of legislative majority versus the moral majority. The 102 of the Opposition parties against the 131 of the Treasury Benches is about the success of the moral majority, and the political-constitutional history of India shall record it this way only,” Mr. Jha said.
