Buoyed by getting the Triple Talaq Bill through the Upper House, the government may now seek Rajya Sabha approval for a 2019 bill amending the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial law, a move the Congress opposes. The bill, already introduced in the Lok Sabha, would end the Congress president’s nomination as one of the trustees of the memorial.

What the bill changes

Under the 1951 Act that the government wants to amend, the memorial’s trust is made up of:

• the Prime Minister;
• the president of the Indian National Congress;
• the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha;
• the Governor and the Chief Minister of Punjab;
• the Union Culture Minister;
• three eminent persons nominated by the Centre.

The amendments would remove the automatic place for the Congress president. Where there is no Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the leader of the single largest party would be nominated instead.

The arguments

The government argues that the nomination system is outdated and that no party is entitled to such a position. “No political party can claim hold over a trust like Jallianwala Bagh Memorial,” it has said.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had asked the government not to alter the trusteeship, pointing to the party’s long association with the freedom movement.

Background

The bill had been passed during the Modi government’s first term, but it lapsed when the 16th Lok Sabha’s term ended, as the government did not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. During the 17th Lok Sabha’s first session, the government has been able to gather enough support in the Rajya Sabha despite lacking a clear majority there, and there are signs that it will seek to pass this bill during the current session.

See also: Indian National Congress and Lok Sabha members.

Originally published on 1 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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