Rajya Sabha passes TRAI Amendment Bill, Congress isolated

Modi government has secured a major political victory today as the TRAI Amendment Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on voice vote. It paves way to appoint former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chief Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

While Moving the Bill, Minister for Law and Telecom Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the bill was aimed at removing “a palpable anomaly” in existing law which allows former TRAI Chairman to take up private job two years after his retirement but blocked the person to take up government job ever post-retirement.

Prasad stated that as other regulatory bodies like Competition Commission, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority and SEBI do not have such provision, thus the government decided to amend the law to bring equality among all regulatory bodies.

“The scope of the Bill is very limited and it is to create equality among all regulatory bodies,” he said.

Despite strong protest from Congress, the government manages to secure support from other opposition parties like BSP, TMC, NCP and SP.

Congress is fumed over TMC’s changing stand on the issue. While on the first day in Lok Sabha TMC opposed the bill but on Monday it took a 180-degree stand and supported the bill.

Taunting TMC, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said, “If somebody takes a U-turn, is it the fault of Congress?

TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said, that the Prime Minister had “the right to appoint any officer who he feels fit…in the greater interests of better governance.”

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