- The Lok Sabha on August 2, 2019 passes Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Bill 2019 to remove the Congress president as a permanent trustee of the memorial.
- In the existing act, the trust that manages the memorial included the Prime Minister as the chairperson, with the president of the Congress, Culture Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Punjab Governor and the Punjab Chief Minister as its members. But now, the Congress chief is being removed while the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha is being added as a member of the trust.
Background
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on December 6, 2018 had approved the Amendment of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951
- The decisions was aimed to amend the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951 so as to secure representation as Trustees, “the Leader of Opposition recognized as such in the House of the People, or where there is no such Leader of Opposition, then the Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in the House”.
- As per the government, in the existing Act, there was a provision for representation of a single national political party. Deletion of the party specific member from the Trust will make it apolitical. The government says that the amendment ensures representation of the Opposition Party in the Trust. The proposed Amendment will empower the Government to terminate and replace a Trustee to participate in functioning of the Trust or for any other reason.
