The Lower House, Lok Sabha passed Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2019 on Friday. The Bill was tabled by Prahlad Singh Patel (Minister of Culture) who asked for de-politicization of institutions. The Bill seeks to amend Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act,1951. With the passage of Bill, the provision for nominating Congress trustee as the permanent President will be diluted away. Owing to this clause, Congress members staged a walkout.
Lok Sabha passes the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019. pic.twitter.com/P4VrcqxbTv
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2019
The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act,1951 called for erecting National Memorial in the memory of those killed in Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April 1919 by Acting Brigadier-General Reginal Dyer. Bill also envisaged to set up a trust for managing the memorial.
Though the bill has been passed by Lok Sabha in 2019, It was previously rejected by 16th Rajya sabha owing to strong opposition by Congress members.
Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy opposed the Bill and told that the trust to
manage the Jallianwala National Memorial was set up by Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
While Congress leader Gurjeet Singh Aujla slammed the government for trying to erase Congress from the history, The Food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal took a hit at the Congress for their association with 1984 riots. On the other side, DMK member Dayanidhi Maran lashed out at the government for wasting time because of such Bills.
The Bill comes at the centenary commemoration of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It also enables the central government to terminate the term of a nominated trustee before the expiry of the ongoing period of his term.
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