The Rajya Sabha witnessed high drama here on Thursday during the voting on the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

In a big relief to the National Democratic Alliance, which was in a minority in the Upper House so far, the Opposition’s motion to send the Bill to a select committee was defeated by a margin of 42 votes.

However, the government drew sharp criticism over certain actions of the ruling party members during the voting. When the voting was on, Opposition members surrounded former TDP leader CM Ramesh, who had recently joined the BJP, and shouted that he tried to influence other TDP members.

CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem, who first confronted Ramesh, told BusinessLine later that Ramesh was giving instructions to TDP MPs that they should vote against the Opposition’s motion. “I first told him to stop instructing other members. He did not listen. When he started collecting the ballots of other MPs, I brought it before Deputy Chairman’s (Harivansh) attention,” Kareem said.

Soon, Congress members stormed to the aisles and questioned Ramesh. The Deputy Chairman, however, continued with the proceedings.

At this point Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the entire episode throws light on how the BJP won 303 seats in the Lok Sabha. He accused the ministers of intimidating leaders of other parties so that they vote in favour of the government.

“Ruling party MPs were getting signatures of other MPs. The BJP government is trying to turn Parliament into one of its departments. You are killing democracy,” Azad said. BJP members objected to this. Later the Bill was put to vote in the absence of Opposition MPs and was passed.

“Open for suggestions”

Replying to the three-hour-long debate, which was also marred by disruptions, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said the Centre has nothing to hide. He said the Bill has been prepared with a ‘clean intention’ and told the Opposition that the Centre is open to suggestions. He said the Bill in no way curtails the stature of Information Commissioners and the rights of States. Defending the amendments, he said it will strengthen the RTI Act.

Earlier, Opposition members questioned the Centre’s intentions. Congress leader and former minister Jairam Ramesh said five recent verdicts of the Central Information Commission such as directing the Prime Minister’s Office to reveal Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications and to tell the people about the quantum of black money recovered in the last five years, might have irked the Centre. “The real intention of the Centre is not parity of the Chief Election Commissioner, but to make the Chief Information Commissioner a toothless authority,” he said.

Another Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the Centre wants to control the Information Commission and the amendment is a tool for that. He said many posts are lying vacant in the State and central panels and more than 30,000 cases are pending with CIC. SP’s Javed Ali Khan said the Bill is a threat to democracy.