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Owaisi's ‘chess and ludo’ dig as Congress-led INDIA briefly stops protest in Lok Sabha
Opposition bloc INDIA, of which AIMIM is not a part, has been stalling proceedings in both Houses of Parliament since the beginning of the Monsoon session.
As the Congress-led INDIA briefly stopped their protest in Lok Sabha to allow the introduction of the Delhi services bill on Tuesday, All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi took a swipe at the opposition and treasury benches saying "chess and ludo are being played" in the Parliament.
The opposition parties have been disrupting the House proceedings during the Monsoon session of the Parliament demanding that the prime minister make a statement on the ethnic violence in Manipur. However, they briefly stopped the protest as the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha.
"I thank the opposition leader, he has allowed the House to function without the presence of the prime minister," Owaisi said.
"Chess and ludo are being played in the House," Owaisi quipped.
"They are playing chess," he said, pointing to the treasury benches, while "this side is playing ludo".
Owaisi's AIMIM is not part of the 26-member opposition bloc that has been formed to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The AIMIM chief, however, asserted that the bill violated Article 123, saying the Constitution cannot be amended with a simple bill.
"It is a violation of the theory of separation of powers, and it is SC judgement of a five-membered bench from 2018 so that is why I am saying that the house does not have legislative competence for this bill and that is why I am opposing it," he said.
The proposed legislation, which gives the Delhi Lieutenant Governor a final say on the transfer and posting of officials of the city government, will strengthen the Central government's control over the national capital. The bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on July 25.
Union home minister Amit Shah asserted that Parliament is empowered to make laws for Delhi and termed the objection to it "politically motivated".
