The Constitution Amendment Bill for the abolition of the privy purses and privileges of the princes was passed by the Lok Sabha today [September 2, New Delhi] by 339 votes to 154, with the requisite two-thirds majority by a narrow margin of only eight votes — with a record attendance of 493 out of the total membership of 523 which includes the Speaker and the four existing vacancies in the House. The Government thus managed to scrape through with this controversial piece of legislation — with the help of the two Communist parties, the D.M.K., P.S.P., S.S.P, and nearly two-thirds of the Independents and other unattached members — amidst boisterous scenes with all the agonising suspense and drama of life and death struggle. The Congress(O), Jan Sangh, Swantantra, B.K.D., the remaining Independents and the rebel princes from the Ruling Congress Party missed the bus by only nine votes in their grim determination to defeat the Bill and give a good drubbing to the Government even if they were not able to topple it.
