Agencies
New Delhi, Aug 5: The bill to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories sailed through Rajya Sabha today, with several opposition parties walking out, bringing down the majority mark, and others siding with the government, which does not enjoy majority in the upper house.
Among those that sided with government were Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress, N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party and in a surprise addition -- Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party. Together with government, that took the number to 117.
In the 242-member Rajya Sabha, the ruling National Democratic Alliance has 107 members, well short of the 121 majority mark.
But Trinamool Congress, which has 13 members walked out and BJP ally Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United boycotted the voting.
The Congress had led the opposition protests against the Kashmir decisions. Others who opposed the moves were the Samajwadi Party, DMK, the RJD and Left parties.
Nitish Kumar's party had also opposed the move, but was likely to help by boycotting the vote, along with the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar and Trinamool Congress.
Two lawmakers of the People's Democratic Party were suspended for tearing up the constitution in protest against Amit Shah's announcement. |
