The government worked the phones to bring around three unattached parties that had reservations about the amendments
New Delhi: A depleted Opposition fought valiantly in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday to try and have the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2019 referred to a select committee but lost as the government worked the phones to bring around three unattached parties that had reservations about the amendments.
The government defeated the motion to refer the bill, which empowers the Centre to fix the salaries and tenures of information commissioners at the Centre and the states, to a select committee by 42 votes.
By then the Opposition had walked out, protesting the “intimidation’’ of members, after seeing new BJP member C.M. Ramesh collect the voting slips from Telugu Desam members. House rules say that officials alone can collect the voting slips.
CPM member Elamaram Kareem had protested as Ramesh collected the slips, drawing the attention of other Opposition members. Congress and Trinamul members immediately cornered Ramesh and protested the rule violation.
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