Hyderabad: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien on Friday decided to let the Lok Sabha Speaker decide whether Congress member Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao’s private Bill seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh was a money Bill or not.
When the Rajya Sabha took up Dr Rao’s Bill on Friday evening for further discussion, Leader of the House and finance minister Arun Jaitley raised objections stating it was unconstitutional to proceed with voting on the Bill, which in all respects should be considered as a Money Bill and thus could not be considered or passed by the Rajya Sabha.
He extensively quoted from various Articles in the Constitution – 109, 110, 112 and 117 besides Rule 185 and 186 of Rajya Sabha – and said they stipulated that the House could not take up a money Bill.
He said Dr Rao’s Bill not only sought special category status that involved financial implications but also had other provisions like providing funds for the capital city of Amaravati, the Polavaram project and related items that required huge amounts of money from the Consolidated Fund of India, which meant that the Bill should be considered as a money Bill.
