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Underlining the vulnerability of the Opposition, while showcasing the floor manoeuvring skills of the Government, the Rajya Sabha passed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill here on Tuesday.
The Bill will help validate the appointment of Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Almost all the Opposition parties, such as the DMK, the AIADMK, the Biju Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party supported the Bill, as the Government’s floor managers reached out to them.
The rapport Misra enjoys with SP and BSP leaders also helped the smooth passage of the Bill. The Modi Government is in a minority in the Upper House.
The Congress also looked divided over the issue. While T Subbirami Reddy, who presented a statutory motion against the Bill, said he has nothing against Misra, veteran Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar questioned the independent credentials of Misra, without taking his name.
Left, JD(U) oppose BillThe Left parties and the JD(U) opposed the Bill, but none of them demanded a division and the Bill was passed by voice vote.
Moving the Bill and later replying to the debate, Law and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad maintained that the Bill was not individual-centric.
He said the scope of the Bill was to create equality among all regulatory bodies. Prasad said Misra, an IAS officer of 1967 batch, had an impeccable career record and served various governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. He said the Prime Minister should have the right to choose his Principal Secretary in the interests of good governance.
The SP, the BSP, the DMK, the AIADMK and the Trinamool Congress backed the Centre’s argument. Aiyar said the Prime Minister was behaving in a whimsical way and it was evident that the legislation was to benefit a single person.
ObjectionsCPI(M) deputy leader P Rajeeve said the Modi Government made history by bringing an Ordinance as its first legislation, that too within three days of assuming office.
He said regulators should not be allowed to enter Government or private jobs once they completed their term in a regulatory authority.
D Raja of the CPI said big corporates are using the service of senior bureaucrats after their retirement and the practise of allowing regulators to join private firms should not be allowed.
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