The contentious Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Monday with 131 votes. The Delhi Services Bill, as it is popularly known, was earlier passed in the Lok Sabha by a voice vote.Opposition parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, have vehemently opposed to Bill, and AAP MP Raghav Chadha called it illegal and unconstitutional.Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came to the Rajya Sabha to participate in the discussions surrounding the Delhi Services Bill. Singh, who has been battling with illness for a couple of years, turned up at the Parliament in a wheelchair and voted against the Bill.Today, in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Manmohan Singh stood as a beacon of integrity and came especially to vote against the black ordinance. His unwavering commitment to democracy and the constitution is a profound inspiration. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to him for his invaluable… pic.twitter.com/JhBwUUjQOe— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) August 7, 2023Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to thank the Congress leader, as well as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren, for appearing in the Rajya Sabha to oppose the Bill despite failing health.बीजेपी द्वारा लाए गए इस ग़ैर क़ानूनी और काले क़ानून के ख़िलाफ़ संसद के अंदर और बाहर बहुत सारी पार्टियों ने, बहुत सारे नेताओं ने दिल्ली के लोगों का साथ दिया, इस समर्थन और साथ के लिए उन सभी नेताओं और सभी पार्टियों को दिल्ली के 2 करोड़ लोगों की तरफ़ से मैं तहे दिल से धन्यवाद करता…— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 7, 2023“Many parties inside and outside the parliament, many leaders supported the people of Delhi against this illegal and black law brought by BJP, for this support and support all those leaders and all parties of Delhi 2 crore On behalf of the people, I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” the Chief Minister said.“Especially former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ji and JMM President Mr. Shibu Soren ji came to the Parliament even in adverse circumstances from the point of view of health, many thanks to both the senior leaders on behalf of all Delhiites,” he continued.No value left for Delhi peoples vote: Kejriwal on PM Modis Delhi Services Bill pushThe Chief Minister further accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking away the electoral powers of the people of Delhi. He said that following the passage of this Bill, there will be no value left in the votes of the people of Delhi, and that the Prime Minister and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena will run the government of Delhi.“The Prime Minister overturned the Supreme Courts order in a week. Today, the Parliament replaced that ordinance with a law. The law takes away powers of the elected government of Delhi,” Kejriwal said.Calling the Prime Minister arrogant, Kejriwal further said, “The country elected you as the prime minister so that you would do the transfer posting of peons. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so much arrogance that he neither listens to the public nor listens to the Supreme Court.”“The prime minister had promised to make Delhi a full state. Today, he stabbed the people of Delhi in the back. They [BJP] cannot compete with Kejriwal, AAP with their work, their only motive is to stop me,” he continued.Kejriwal continued his attack on the Prime Minister, saying that the people of Delhi would choose him over BJP leaders, adding that BJP would not win even a single seat in Delhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.“The people of Delhi like the son of Delhi, they dont want a leader like you [PM Modi],” Kejriwal said.
