New Delhi: A private member bill by Congress MP Manish Tewari, seeking Chandigarh’s representation in the Rajya Sabha, is likely to be considered in the Budget Session of Parliament.
The Bill proposes to amend Article 80 of the Constitution by adding a clause that a representative of the Union territory of Chandigarh in the Council of States shall be elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat said the bill could be taken up for consideration. The Budget Session of Parliament will commence January 31 and end April 6.
Tewari introduced the bill in Lok Sabha during the Winter Session in December last year. The MP from Anandpur Sahib had earlier said that it is his moral responsibility to seek a Rajya Sabha seat for Chandigarh, with which he has an emotional connection.
The Union Territories of Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir and the National Capital Territory of Delhi find representation in the Rajya Sabha. However, Ladakh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli – Daman and Diu, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are unrepresented there.
Tewari was brought up in Chandigarh and studied there. His father was a professor at Panjab University and was killed by terrorists in 1984. His mother retired as Director of PGI Chandigarh.
The former Union minister has been raising issues concerning Chandigarh, such as the demolition of the city’s largest slum colony, and a proposal to privatise its electricity utility department. Recently he also gave money for setting up open-air gyms in the Union Territory from his MPLADS fund.
PTI