Left unlikely to back all govt Bills

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's plans to introduce or pass a clutch of Bills in the Monsoon Session of Parliament could meet a sticky end with the Left demanding either more or less from each of these legislations.

Of these, the three legislations, which could turn out to be potential flashpoints in the government-Left relations are the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill (PFRDA), the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme Bill and the amendment to the Banking Regulation Act to allow 74 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in private banks.

Other than this, the Left also wants the government to pass certain other Bills without delay. These include the Women's Reservation Bill, the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill and the Unorganised Sector Workers Bill.

All these issues will be discussed at a meeting of the CPI(M) parliamentary board tomorrow, where the party's strategy for the forthcoming session will be chalked out.

CPI(M) sources also indicated that issues such as the agricultural crisis in the country and the falling agricultural produce, prices of agricultural commodities and lack of irrigation would be brought to in the forthcoming session.

On the PFRDA, the Left has let its staunch opposition to the Bill be known in the standing committee, which is close finalising its recommendations on the Bill. The standing committee recommendations will be presented to Parliament once the session begins.

The government has the Bharatiya Janata Party's support on the PFRDA Bill. However, Left leader have already warned that the repercussions of passing a Bill such as the PFRDA, with the opposition support, while allies are objecting to it, does not bode well for the government-Left relations.

The employment guarantee Bill, which was also referred to a standing committee, is scheduled to be passed in this session of Parliament. However, before the government is able to get the Bill passed, it will have to deal with the Left, which has pressed for widening the scope of the Bill.

The Left wants the programme to be open to as many people who seek employment rather than only to one able bodied member form each household.

While the government is likely to accept this suggestion, the stumbling block is will be the "switch-on, switch-off" clause in the scheme which allows the government to discontinue the scheme in a particular district when it sees it fit.

The Left parties, trade unions and non-governmental organisations have opposed this clause. However, the sources indicated that the government was keen to keep this clause in the Bill as it would allow more room for manoeuver, as far as the implementation of the scheme was concerned.

The Left has also been opposing the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act Bill on the grounds that the amendment is being brought to facilitate the take over of the Indian private banks by foreign banks who can acquire up to 74 per cent share.