Rajya Sabha declares AP bill is a money bill, removes it from pending list

The Rajya Sabha speaker, PJ Kurien, last day categorized the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) bill, 2015, as a financial bill, announcing the removal of the bill from the pending list.The bill was originally tabled in 2015 by a congress leader, named KVP Ramachandra Rao, as a private member bill.Earlier, while considering the bill, the Financial Minister, Arun Jaitley, raised objection saying the bill is a financial bill so it cannot be considered in the Rajya Sabha, and it should only be introduced in the Lok Sabha.Subsequently, the issue regarding the consideration of the bill was referred to the Lok Sabha speaker under the constitutional provision.

After considering the matter, the Lok Sabha speaker declared that the proposed AP bill is not a financial bill so it can be introduced in either Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha.Interestingly, the Rajya Sabha secretariat decided to move forward with the financial ministry’s suggestion, which was, in fact, not backed by any constitutional provision.A senior congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, asserted that the Rajya Sabha secretariat neither needs to follow the ministry’s opinion nor has to apply the Lok Sabha Secretary General’s suggestion. He further said that they only have to consider the Lok Sabha speaker’s suggestion. He alleged that the financial ministry misguided the Rajya Sabha.It was learned that the congress members are planning to approach the top court demanding justice.

vignesh

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