The Parliament is expected to have a “short” Monsoon Session after Independence Day. The session is unlikely before August 20, the birth anniversary of late Rajiv Gandhi on which UPA plans to roll out its much-touted food security scheme.
The Monsoon Session was held between August 8 and September 9 in 2012, between August 1 and September 8 in 2011 and from July 26 to August 31 in 2010. The Government has already promulgated an Ordinance to bring food security provisions in force and a section of the Government wants this Ordinance to be taken up for parliamentary approval only after it is rolled out.
“There is a view that the session could be convened only after giving ‘adequate’ time to the Government to roll out the scheme. In such a case, benefits would reach out to people and if the Bill gets stuck in Parliament, the Opposition can be held responsible,” Government sources said.
The Government’s worries about the fate of the Bill in Parliament have in the meantime only grown. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav reportedly told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday that he would support the proposed legislation only after his party’s amendments were accepted.
“When we meet the Prime Minister, it is obvious that there would be some discussion,” Yadav said after his 30-minute long meeting with the PM here.
Opposition BJP is also planning to move some 70 amendments with the Chhattisgarh model in mind. “Why can't they (UPA) simply adopt the Chhattisgarh model, which has been tried and tested on the groundIJ The UPA’s Bill is for vote security and not food security, as they call it,” Singh told The Pioneer. BJP insists that the Government is focusing on distribution of grain without making adequate preparations for boosting production and procurement. The Bill is high on the Government’s agenda and it is in no mood to allow the Opposition to put a spanner in its electoral plans.
“The Government’s priority is to get this Food Bill passed. Our purpose is to see to it that the food security scheme is rolled out. The Monsoon Session of Parliament could wait,” Government sources said.
The BJP has questioned the Government’s intention behind delaying the Parliament session. “Monsoon is nearing its end. Where is the sessionIJ The Government accuses us of running away from a debate. We are ready with our amendments. But they are not convening the session,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.
The BJP had recently claimed that the ‘hurry’ on the part of the Government to implement its flagship scheme indicated that the country could be headed for a snap poll. The Government, however, took a dig at the BJP for anticipating early lok Sabha polls and asserted that the elections will be held next year as per the normal schedule. “The BJP has believed since 2004 that elections would take place the next day. Unfortunately, they have not been able to accept the electoral verdicts of 2004 and 2009,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters here.