Congress led UPA in a bind

The Congress led UPA finds itself badly trapped. Desperate to get its ambitious Food Security bill passed in the Lok Sabha, it relented to the Opposition demand to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making an intervention about the missing files on coal scam. The government at the same time moved a motion for expulsion of the protesting 11 Telangana MPs ( 7 of which are Congress and four are TDP) which it claims was on the 'understanding' that it would get the support of the Opposition benches; to enable the Food bill to be discussed in the house.
 
Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj however was on her feet opposing the motion. For the first time Congress is raising doubts about the passing of the Food bill with spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit officially saying 'excuses are being found to scuttle the Food bill.'

Meanwhile, the possibility of extension seems unclear as the Business Advisory Committee of the upper house which met today has not taken a decision on the matter as yet.

Bolstering his arguments, Diskhit pointed to the fact that the Rajya Sabha was functioning relatively smoothly unlike the Lok Sabha where the Food bill is slated for discussion. 'The BJP is primarily using the excuse of the din to postpone the debate on the Food bill,' accused Dikshit.

Congress sources claimed that only after an 'understanding' with the BJP that the Congress took the critical step and that too after 15 days of disruptions of moving a motion for expulsion of the protesting 11 Telangana MPs. However the motion moved by Kamal Nath was stiffly opposed by Sushma Swaraj who said, 'I want to say categorically that we are in favour of Telangana. We have supported it fully. I have raised this issue earlier in the House on three occasions.'

In the ruckus that ensued, the lower house had to be adjourned for the day.  

The Congress meanwhile, is laying the blame squarely on the BJP’s doorstep, citing the fact that BJP ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and even NDA ally SAD ruled Punjab has readily suspended members to ensure smooth functioning of the legislative assembly. 'Its only when it’s the Parliament they view it as an assault on democracy,' says a senior Congress leader. In the past Congress Telangana MPs had been made to sit out for an entire session when their protests were disrupting the house proceedings; the BJP then had had no issues added the Congressman.   

Meanwhile, the hopes of a bonhomie between the Congress and the BJP which had given rise to a proposal earlier in the day about possible extension of the Monsoon session to September 5, seemed to fade out by the end of the day.  

When Parliamentary Affairs minister Kamal Nath spoke about proposal for extension at the BAC, it was decided to be taken up later as more than a week remains. The session was slated to end on August 30.

There is talk within the government camp of  several options being resorted to; while some are in favour of the government withdrawing its decision to expel the MPs, there is also a view that in the current impasse the house should be adjourned sine die.

A clear picture is yet to emerge as the Speaker is slated to hold a meeting with all parties on Friday morning to chart out the future course of action. In all this uncertainty, the future of the Food bill being passed appears hazy.