Jaitley gives notice for suspension of Question Hour to pass the crucial legislation
Adamant on opposing the lokpal Bill, the Samajwadi Party on Monday skipped the all-party meeting called to build a consensus on passing the anti-corruption legislation in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and rubbished reports of a deal with the Government on this issue.
The BSP and DMK also kept out of the meeting convened by RS chairman Hamid Ansari. BSP chief Mayawati already announced her support to lokpal Bill and her party leaders later clarified that the meet coincided with their national executive meeting.
After the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said all parties that attended the meet agreed to pass the Bill in the Upper House on Tuesday. Nath also declared that since the lokpal Bill is the highest priority of the Government, it is even ready to extend the current session of Parliament for its passage.
The House was adjourned on Monday following the obituary reference to Union Minister Sis Ram Ola who died on Sunday. The Congress Core Group too discussed the lokpal Bill issue which was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
During the discussions, sources said, NDA leaders agreed to pass the Bill even amid the din, but contended that marshals should not be used to “throw” out those opposing the measure in the House. Sources also said that Ansari told the leaders that he would not allow the Bill to be passed in the din.
Those who attended the all-party meeting included Arun Jaitley (BJP), Naresh Gujral (SAD), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena), V Maitreyan (AIADMK), Derek O’Brien (TMC), NK Singh (JD-U), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI) and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD).
Jaitley also gave a notice for suspension of Question Hour on Tuesday to hold a discussion and pass the crucial legislation. Though BJP reiterated its stand in all-party meeting that it is ready to discuss and pass the Bill in the din, it remains to be seen how the Chair would proceed as both Houses have seen protests on a host of issues in this session.
SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav reiterated that his party would continue to oppose the lokpal Bill and rubbished as “fabricated” a report that his SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has conveyed support to the Congress on the measure.
“It has never been conveyed by Mulayam Singh that Samajwadi Party will support the lokpal Bill. It is absolutely wrong. We are opposed to the Bill,” he said.
The SP chief is learnt to have expressed his reservation on the Bill to the Government. He is understood to have conveyed that the proposed legislation in its present form will give extraordinary power to ombudsman making it difficult for public servants to perform their duty.
If the RS chairman insisted that House must be in order to pass the Bill, the SP will have to either walkout or take part in the debate and oppose the Bill. If the SP continues disrupting the House, the Congress managers will have a tough task on hand and face criticism that their party was playing a fixed match with the “outside” ally.
The Opposition is learnt to have been working with the Government on the issue of bringing certain amendments in the Bill after the Select Committee recommendations. Sources said that the Government has agreed to BJP’s demand that it would not transfer any CBI official probing cases referred to by the lokpal, without the consent of the anti-corruption ombudsman.
BJP leader Prakash Javadekar hit out at Congress for showing double standards and alleged that the ruling party is not showing alacrity and intentions in persuading SP, which has supported their Government for over nine years. “When it is required, all these parties vote for them and only on issues like women’s reservation, lokpal, they oppose them. It is obvious that the Centre’s intentions are not clear,” Javadekar said.