Asserting that the Congress-led UPA Government cannot deceive the people by showing the ordinance on Food Security Bill, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Thursday said there should have been a comprehensive debate in the Parliament on it.
"We are opposed to this ordinance. We always want a thorough comprehensive debate in the Parliament and the Food Security Bill needs to be drastically amended. After all, we want an effective legislation on Food Security and in ensuring right to food for our citizens," Raja told the media here.
"We should have a comprehensive debate in the Parliament. The Monsoon Session of the Parliament is very close. (If) the government is serious, the government is honest; the government could have waited for the Monsoon Session or government could have advanced the Monsoon Session to take up this bill and have a debate," he added.
The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to promulgate an ordinance on the National Food Security Bill that seeks to give legal rights to 67 per cent of the population over subsidised grains every month.
The food security programme when implemented will be the biggest in the world with the government spending estimated at one lakh 25 thousand crore rupees annually.
Terming the ordinance as historic, Congress spokesman Ajay Maken said the government resorted to promulgation of ordinance, as there was no unanimity during the discussions with the opposition parties.
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On June 13, the Cabinet had deferred the proposal amid differences on the issue.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said after the meeting of the Union Cabinet that the government will try to call a special session of Parliament to debate and pass the Bill, which aims at providing the legal right to subsidised food to nearly 67 percent of India's population.
The Food Security Bill was tabled during the budget session of Parliament, but could not be taken up for discussion because of opposition-led disruptions of proceedings arising out of scam-related allegations.
The Food Security Bill is aimed at giving legal rights to 67 percent of the population for a uniform quantity of 5 kg food grains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.