Even though lok Sabha will function on Saturday, the Government has decided to bring the Food Security Bill only on Monday as it apprehends that majority of the MPs will not be able to attend Parliament during the weekend.
“The House will function tomorrow. But a large of members and leaders have expressed that they are going to be away... Many members and leaders want to speak on the Food Security Bill. So they have requested to the Speaker that the Food Security Bill should not be taken up tomorrow, but on Monday. So the Bill will be taken up on Monday,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said on Friday. About the Opposition demand for a debate on missing coalgate files in the lok Sabha, Nath said that Speaker Meira Kumar will fix a date.
The Government has proposed extending the Monsoon Session, he admitted. However, final decision in this regard would be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs soon, he added. Meanwhile, a broad informal agreement has been reached among various parties on extending the Session. With disruptions against Andhra Pradesh bifurcation and other issues disrupting Parliament repeatedly wasting most of the time of the lok Sabha, important legislative business of the Government is yet to be completed including its “game changer” Food Security and land Acquisition Bills.
The Opposition parties are not enthusiastic about food legislation, but they also want the Government to amend laws during the Monsoon Session to negate the recent Supreme Court verdicts, which barred jailed politicians from contesting elections and provided for instant disqualification of MPs and MlAs if convicted for more than two years.
After the consensus at the all-party meeting, the Government did not waste much time and Union Cabinet on Thursday approved amendments to the Representation of People’s Act to nullify the court judgement. Now the Bill along with one constituting Judicial Appointments Commission to replace the collegium system of judges’ appointment will be presented in Parliament for approval. Passing these Bills would require time and with just one week of the Session remaining, the Government has no option but to extend the session.