"It will be passed in Parliament...110 per cent": Union Minister Piyush Goyal on bill to replace Centre's Delhi services ordinance

New Delhi [India], July 2 : Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the bill to replace the ordinance for control of services in Delhi, which is being strongly opposed by the Aam Aadmi Party and some other opposition parties, will be passed in Parliament.

In an interview withEditor Smita Prakash, Goyal expressed concern over frequent disruptions in Parliament. He slammed the opposition parties, saying issues which are not on the listed agenda of the day, which are extraneous to the subject at hand, are sought to be fostered on the House.

"It will be passed in the Parliament. What is good for the country will always have the numbers," Piyush Goyal said answering a question on the bill related to the ordinance promulgated by the Centre.

Goyal is the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. The monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 20 and continue till August 11.

The Centre had in May this year promulgated the ordinance for setting up a statutory body to decide on the transfer and posting of IAS and DANICS officers in Delhi.

The ordinance was promulgated days after Supreme Court said that the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, will be with the elected government.

Aam Aadmi Party has been seeking the support of opposition parties to get the bill on the ordinance defeated in the Rajya Sabha. The government has a comfortable majority in Lok Sabha. The bill to replace the Centre's Delhi services ordinance is expected to be taken up in the monsoon session of Parliament.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had said after a meeting of opposition parties in Patna last month that unless Congress publicly denounces the Centre's ordinance, it would be very difficult for it to be part of any alliance that includes Congress.

AAP government in Delhi has moved the Supreme Court against the Centre's ordinance over control of services in Delhi.

Goyal said the government has the numbers to get the bill passed in Parliament.

"Without the Congress also we have the numbers," the minister said.

Asked if he was confident of the bill getting passed in Rajya Sabha, Goyal said "110 per cent".

He narrated how he gets feedback from his friends in Mumbai, how they "still go Dutch" during a meal in a restaurant and about the use of the expression "110 per cent" by his wife.

"We have a small group of friends back home in Mumbai - my daughter's class-fellows parents - and in some sense, they are my closest friends because they tell me the truth, they give me a lot of feedback when I get back. I can say 'khil ke hans sakta hun unke sath'," he said.

"And we still go Dutch...it looks quite funny you know. you're in a fancy restaurant...everybody starts looking at you, everybody taking all their wallet, their cards, giving six cards for the guy to split it six ways and stuff like that...In that group one joke used to be that whenever there was something my wife was very sure of she would say 110 per cent. So that's what I'll use today 110 per cent," he added.

Goyal, who is also Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi works dedicatedly for the welfare of people but the opposition parties keep raising frivolous issues. He said people will give a befitting reply to opposition parties.

The minister said it is a matter of deep concern that "we have not been able to really reflect the aspirations of the people of India".

"We have not been able to have mature debate and dialogue and discussion in both Houses of Parliament...Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is very concerned about the level of discourse that the Congress particularly and other parties have brought to," he said.

Goyal said an approach of "my way or the highway" is sought to be articulated by many senior opposition leaders in Parliament and referred to protests by opposition members near the Chair's podium.

"On one hand we have a leader who's working 24x7 to meet the aspirations of the common man, and on the other hand, we have a set of senior politicians...the house of elders where disruption has become the order of the day rather than mature debate. And frivolous issues, issues which don't stand on merit, issues which are not on the listed agenda of the day, issues which are extraneous to the subject at hand, are sought to be fostered on the House and an approach of my way or the highway is sought to be articulated by many senior Congress and other opposition leaders, Goyal said.

"It is a matter of deep concern and the entire nation is watching. I think the nation will give them a befitting reply on this," he added.

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