New Delhi: There are no plans to curtail Parliament's winter session, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath even though the first five days have seen zero work. Nath said that Lokpal Bill remains the top priority even as both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been repeatedly disrupted due to protests against the creation Telangana.
Both Houses were disrupted and then adjourned for the fifth straight day on Wednesday. On one hand Congress MPs from Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh have put the Congress-led UPA government in an embarrassing position by moving a no-confidence motion against it even as Anna Hazare's indefinite fast has brought the focus back on the Lokpal Bill pending before Parliament.
The Congress now saying that there is no question of curtailing the session and the party is committed to passing the Lokpal Bill. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that Lokpal Bill is pending before the Rajya Sabha.
"The select committee has given 13 amendments and all of them have been approved. V Narayanasamy (MoS in the PMO) has requested the Chairman to take up the Bill on priority," said Shinde.
The BJP has agreed to cooperate with the government to pass the finance bills provided they are allowed to take up issues like the Lokpal Bill, Telangana and the Agusta Westland deal investigations. The party is against any proposal to curtail the session. With only eight days left for the winter session to end and the BJP has opposed cutting it short.
No decision has yet been made by different parties on whether they will support the no-confidence motion against the government. "Let the no-confidence motion be taken up by the Speaker first then we will decide our position," SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said keeping the members guessing on his stand.
A no-confidence motion, to be admitted, needs the support of at least 50 MPs. The TDP on Wednesday tried to gather the support of MPs from various parties against the government. It had earlier claimed that 84 MPs from various parties will support the motion.
However, the BJP is still undecided on whether it will support the motion due to its stated position on the division of the state.
"We were inclined to support it but on second thoughts, we considered and other parties also suggested so we thought that it needs a re-look," senior BJP leader LK Advani said.
Meanwhile, central trade unions, too, have planned a march to Parliament to protest against disinvestment of PSUs.
Comments
0 comment