Congress to roll out food scheme despite Bill uncertainty
19 Aug 2013 5:43 AM IST
As Congress-ruled states of Delhi and Haryana get ready to roll out the food security scheme from 20 August, the fate of the ambitious Bill hangs in balance. There hasn’t been a discussion on the Bill ever since it was introduced in Parliament for ratification earlier in the month. The UPA government had brought an Ordinance in July for making Food Security a law and instructed the Congress-run states to roll the scheme on 20 August, the birth anniversary of late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
However, its plans seem to be going haywire with the government unable to have a discussion on the Bill and get it passed. Sources said, to save itself from further embarrassment, the Congress floor managers would try to salvage some ground by getting the bill passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. However, the chances of the same looked grim.
On Monday, the Lok Sabha is expected to adjourn soon after making an obituary reference to sitting member Dilip Singh Judeo of the BJP.
Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Rajiv Shukla sounded optimistic claiming that the government will try its level best for passage of the food bill on 20 August. ‘We will try to resolve the matter through talks.... We will push it (the Bill) hard on the 20th,’ said Shukla. Last week, the Lok Sabha could not take it up for discussion on two consecutive days due to opposition-led disruptions.
The Opposition, which has given its go ahead to the Bill has, however, stated that there should be no passage of any legislation in the din. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, in the all party meeting convened by the parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath last week made it clear that no bill should be passed amidst the continuous agitations in the House by the Andhra MPs.
Government’s patience is running out over the protests, which was reflected in the Lok Sabha last week when the opposition accused Nath of getting angry over disruptions and saying such an attitude would not help in running the House.
The Congress, however, is apprehensive that any action against the agitating TDP MPs will send a wrong signal in the Seemandhra region.
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