Presence of the 90-year-old former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the Upper House of Parliament on Monday despite a precarious health condition triggered a political debate between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on social media.
As the much debatable Delhi Services Bill finally secured parliamentary approval on Monday after the Rajya Sabha passed the contentious measure, former prime minister and 90-year-old veteran politician Dr. Manmohan Singh was present at the Parliament in a wheelchair to participate in the crucial session.
However, his presence at the Upper House of Parliament despite a precarious health condition triggered a political debate between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on social media.
Launching a polemic attack on the grand old party for bringing the former prime minister to Rajya Sabha, the BJP wrote in Hindi, “The country will remember, this madness of the Congress! Even in such a critical health condition, Congress kept a former Prime Minister seated in a wheelchair in the Parliament late at night, all just to sustain their dishonest alliance! Extremely shameful!”
Amid the harsh criticism by BJP, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha wrote on X (formally Twitter), “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 support.”
Alongside Singh, the opposition alliance also brought an ailing Sibhu Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to the House to shore up its numbers and got the backing of 102 MPs against the bill.
On Monday, the Rajya Sabha passed the Delhi services bill which now will enable the Centre to take control over bureaucracy in the national capital
As the BJD and the YSR Congress Party backed the government, the bill that seeks to replace an ordinance was approved 131-102 during voting. This move was seen as a first major test for opposition unity after the formation of the 26-party alliance INDIA last month.
The Rajya Sabha has a current strength of 238 and there are seven vacancies.