JDU Issues 3-Line Whip To RS MPs For Voting Against Centre's Delhi Ordinance Bill

The JDU has issued a three-line whip to its Rajya Sabha MPs for voting against the Centre's Bill over Delhi services.

The Janata Dal (United) has issued a three lined whip to the party's Rajya Sabha MPs for the Monsoon session of Parliament to support the party's stand by voting against the Centre's Bil over Delhi Services. Deputy Chairman Harivansh has received a party whip for the first time during his entire tenure, his office told ANI. Aneel Prasad Hegde, Chief Whip of JD(U) in the Rajya Sabha, said all MPs have been issued a whip. 

"We have issued a whip to all our MPs. I will need to check if this was sent earlier as well to the Deputy Chairman. All MPs have been issued a whip. This time I am the Chief Whip of the party and the whip has been issued to all five Rajya Sabha MPs of the party," he said.

Former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien told ANI that this should not have been done. He said role of Deputy Chairman is that of an umpire. "I was never given a whip by my party to vote in any direction. Since I was in a constitutional post, I was given full freedom to do my duty. Parties do not send a whip to the Deputy Chairman as he is an umpire,” Kurien said.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders also called on former Prime Minister and JD(S) Supremo H D Deve Gowda and appealed to him to fight against the Delhi ordinance. The party leaders in Karnataka led by their state president H N Chandrashekar, popularly known as Mukhyamantri Chandru, called on Gowda, who is an Upper House member, in an attempt to shore up support from non-BJP political parties to defeat the Delhi ordinance in the Rajya Sabha. 

The Centre had on May 19 promulgated an ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of IAS and DANICS officers in Delhi, with the AAP government calling the move a circumvention of the Supreme Court verdict on giving the Delhi government control of the services. The ordinance, which came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government, seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers.