Threat from the Samajwadi Party and division within the Cabinet on Thursday once again forced the Government to defer bringing Food Security Ordinance. Instead, the Government has decided to make one more effort to convince the Opposition to pass the Bill in a Special Session of Parliament.
A threat of withdrawal of support to the UPA by Samajwadi Party led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to avoid the ordinance route to translate Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's pet scheme into law. However, the development clearly showed that the Government had not done its homework before placing the ordinance before the Cabinet.
Till Wednesday, several Congress leaders and Ministers made loud claims that the ordinance was the lone option before the Government as there was no point in talking to the Opposition anymore. A day later, they were forced to sing a different tune altogether.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and Food Minister KV Thomas have been given the task of convincing various political parties for holding a Special Session of Parliament.
"The Food Security Bill is ready. We would like to pass it as a Bill but Ordinance version of bill is also ready. We decided today that we would like to make one more effort to ask the Oppositions whether they would cooperate in passing the Bill in a Special Session of Parliament," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said after the Cabinet meeting.
In addition to BJP and left Parties, even the NCP, the UPA ally, had taken the position that the Bill should be properly debated and then passed in Parliament. But till the SP forced the UPA's hand, the Government seemed determined to trample over all suggestion to avoid the ordinance route.
Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmad said that the party was happy that the Government would talk to various political parties to bring the Food Security in a Special Session of Parliament as soon possible.
But if the hurdle is put in its passage as had happened during the Budget Session, when the Bill could not be passed, then the option of ordinance was still open, he said.
Similar impression was given by Thomas who said that the idea of ordinance has been deferred and not abandoned altogether. Congress president Sonia Gandhi's meeting with PM later in the evening is also seen in this light.
Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav said his party could not support something which is wrong. But NCP spokesman DP Tripathi said that being part of the Government his party has not much option but to go with the collective decision indicating there is softening in approach.