Bill to remove Congress president as Jallianwala Bagh memorial trustee passed by Parliament

Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which seeks the removal of the Congress president as a trustee of the memorial was passed by the Parliament on Tuesday. 

The bill was passed in Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The Lok Sabha had already passed the bill on August 2.

While the bill deletes the provision of the president of the Indian National Congress as a permanent member of the trust, it also adds a new clause to include the Leader of Opposition or the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha to be a member of the trust.

The government said the bill "seeks to make apolitical" the trust that runs Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial.

The bill also amends that a nominated trustee may be terminated before the expiry of the period of five years by the Central Government.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC), Prahlad Singh Patel said as we remember 100 years of Jalliawalan Bagh massacre, "it is necessary to build Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial as National Memorial in true sense."

"These amendments will make this Memorial a National Monument in true spirit," he was quoted as saying in a government statement. 

Speaking in the Parliament, Patel took at a dig at the Congress, saying its MPs have no problem with other provisions of the bill but only with the one in which the party president is being removed as trustee.

"I just wanted to ask as how many cheques the Congress party has given to the memorial," he said.

Accusing the Congress of "playing with the rules and regulations of the trust," he said the institution is going to get its right after 100 years.

He said Punjab Chief Minister would be in the trust and through him, the Congress party would have its representation.