NEW DELHI, Dec 12:
The Lokpal bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha on Monday, the Government today said asserting that the passage of the bill is its “heartfelt desire”.
“Monday is decided as the day for it in Rajya Sabha… It is our heartfelt desire that the Lokpal is passed. That we have enlisted it in this session for passage is a clear indication of this,” Union Minister Harish Rawat told reporters replying to a question at a Congress briefing in Parliament House.
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said the Government will list the measure in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow as a “priority”.
Tomorrow being reserved for private members business, the bill will now be taken on Monday and six hours time has been alloted for it, Parliament sources said.
Congress also rejected BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s allegation that the UPA Government was not keen on passage of key bills including Lokpal.
“Some friends, who are important leaders in their party, have tried to create this impression that the Government is not interested in pushing the legislative business… I strongly refute it. Facts tell us otherwise. We are not getting the support, we should have got…
“Both the ruling and the Opposition party together have a big role to play in creating a (working) atmosphere in Parliament. They are trying to project that the ruling party alone has the responsibility,” he said.
The Government is under pressure from anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare who started an indefinite hunger strike three days ago to press for early passage of the Lokpal Bill.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj accused the Government of trying to cut short the session, thereby stalling the anti-graft bill and said her party is keen that it is taken up without delay.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party made it clear that it will oppose the Bill in the Rajya Sabha while the JD(U) and NCP supported its early passage.
Jaitley alleged that the “bonafides” of the Government on the Lokpal issue are suspect noting that though the Select Committee had submitted its report on December 23, 2012, the Government still has not brought the Lokpal bill.
At the AICC briefing, Rawat said that the Government has “an open mind” on all issues and on the Lokpal, it has accepted all the 13 recommendations of the Select Committee, which were with consensus.
He said that the issue of Lokpal was discussed in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha.
BJP said the Government should drop two amendments on which there is disagreement. Government is opposed to the amendment which states that the Lokpal should be consulted before a CBI officer probing a case is transferred.
While the Opposition maintains this will check undue interference of the Government, the Government insists it has the right to post and transfer officials.
The other amendment on which there is no agreement between the Government and Opposition is on search and seizure of an official’s property. Government maintains he should be show-caused first when a charge of disproportionate assets is made against him while the Opposition says it will take away the element of suddenness and surprise and alert the person.
Rawat said that there are a number of other important bills also like Womens’ Reservation Bill, whose passage the Congress would like to see by this Lok Sabha.
Replying to a question about no confidence motion brought by Seemandhra MPs of Congress, he said it is surprising that Opposition parties are disrupting the House even when such a “serious issue” is there.
Rawat, however, ducked a query on whether Congress expects BJP to talk to SP and BSP, both outside allies of UPA who are disrupting the House daily on various issues.
“I do not want engage in blame game. We do not want to score points in this,” he said.
Maintaining that the political class views this as the last opportunity for passing the bills, he said that if the Opposition thinks that they will score points if Government is not able to carry out its legislative business, they are wrong.
“They will have to answer to people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parliament was paralysed for the fourth consecutive working today as Opposition members created pandemonium on a host of issues including Telangana and Home Minister’s “insulting” letter to the Bihar Chief Minister besides death of children in Muzaffarnagar relief camps.
With normal functioning disrupted, the notices for no-confidence motion could not be taken up in the Lok Sabha for the third day.
However, the Supplementary Demands for Grants (General) and Demands for Grants (Railways) were passed amid din in the Lok Sabha.
Like the previous three days, trouble started in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as soon as they met for the day. Due to the slogan-shouting, Lok Sabha was adjourned twice and Rajya Sabha thrice before final adjournment.
In the Lok Sabha, members of Seemandhra, including YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, were on their feet protesting creation of Telangana and demanded a united Andhra Pradesh.
Placard-carrying JD(U) members stormed into the Well seeking “apology” from Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for writing an “insulting” letter to Bihar Government over Naxal issue.
The strong missive from Shinde, who rapped the State Government for its “failure” in controlling Maoist activities, has apparently not gone down well with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was of late warming up to Congress after breaking away from NDA.
Some JD(U) members were also heard saying that the Home Minister should be sacked.
Shinde, in his letter, had said the situation in the State has become alarming and there is complete breakdown in coordination between the State police and Central forces.
BSP members displayed newspaper reports to raise the issue of death of around 40 children in Muzaffarnagar relief camps in Uttar Pradesh and came to the Well demanding action.
They even demanded dismissal of Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh Government in the Upper House.
TDP members protested against Telangana, while SP members demanded bringing 17 Backward Castes in SC category.
DMK members protested the arrest of fishermen in Sri Lanka, while TMC members held placards demanding that Delhi Police arrest Justice (retd) A K Ganguly, accused of harassing a woman law intern.
In the Lower House, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) shouted slogans against “dictatorship” of UPSC and pressed for use of Hindi.
The Lok Sabha could not take up the notices for no-confidence motion when the House reassembled at noon due to uproar over host of issues.
Members continued to protest despite Speaker Meria Kumar’s repeated efforts to pacify them. She asked agitating members to maintain order in the House to take count of members who are supporting the notice for no-confidence.
As per the rules, 50 members have to support a demand for moving a no-confidence motion to be taken up.
However, the members continued to protest. The Speaker then adjourned the House till tomorrow. (PTI)
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