"Everyone is talking about the rights of a state. But which state? Delhi is not a state."
Union Minister Amit Shah on Thursday lashed out at the Opposition alliance-I.N.D.I.A for attending the debate specifically on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, for the first time since the monsoon session convened, saying that the bloc participated in the discussion due to fear that AAP would walk out of the coalition.
Saying that the bloc has 'exposed itself' by placing its 'priority' to save the alliance rather than focusing on the welfare of the people, Amit Shah said, "Since this session of Parliament started, they (the opposition) were not ready for any discussion on any Bill and were demanding PM Modi's presence so what has happened to them now? Why they got ready for today's discussion? Don't they have to think about democracy today? The opposition's priority is to save their alliance."
Mr Shah was speaking in the Lok Sabha as the House took up the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 for consideration and passage.
However, the Bill was passed in the Lower House amid the sloganeering by Opposition members.
MPs sitting in Opposition opposed the Bill being passed citing that it will damage the 'federal structure' of the Constitution.
In his reply to the debate, Amit Shah said that opposition parties did not take part in a debate on any bill passed in the House and kept protesting on their demands over the debate on the Manipur situation.
Pointing to the recent protests in the parliament, he asked the opposition benches what has changed that they willingly participated in the debate of the Bill concerning Delhi.
Amit Shah, while taking a jibe at the Opposition said that they got ready for a discussion over the ordinance only because they are "worried" about their alliance.
"The opposition is not worried about Manipur...Everyone is talking about the rights of a state. But which state? Delhi is not a state but a Union Territory. Your priority is very clear and you made it clear by your act. I heard everyone but no one spoke the truth. At least any of you should have said that you have come here so that Arvind Kejriwal ji won't break the alliance with you. You have exposed yourself today," Amit Shah said.
He further said that the Parliament has the right to make laws for Delhi as it has a status of a Union Territory.
"Everyone is talking about the rights of a state. But which state? Delhi is not a state but a Union Territory...The Parliament has the right to make laws for Delhi...," Mr Shah added.
The House, however, adjourned for the day and will meet on Friday at 11 in the morning.
Earlier, while moving the bill for passing in the House, Amit Shah made a strong attack on the AAP government and said that the administrative arrangement in Delhi was working fine under various governments until a new party came to power in the national capital in 2015.
Taking a veiled dig at AAP, he said the aim of the party is not to work for people but to "fight" with the Centre.
He also targeted AAP and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over alleged corruption in the renovation of bungalows.
"In the year 2015, a party came to power in Delhi whose only motive was to fight, not serve...The problem is not getting right to do transfer postings, but getting control of the vigilance department to hide their corruption like building their bungalows," Amit Shah said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)