Business Standard

Govt in piquant situation in Parliament

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Press Trust of India New Delhi
Government, keen on passage of a host of legislations including the one on food security, is caught in a piquant situation in Parliament over the protests by TDP MPs that have been stalling business.

The current impasse raises questions over the fate of the legislations BJP is insisting that there should be no passage of any legislation in the din while it does not also want any action like suspension of agitating members.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has let it be known to government that it would not be a party to the suspension of the members.
 

She has, however, appealed to the agitating MPs to shift the venue of their protests from the House to outside in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue.

Opposition leaders insisted in the all-party meeting convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath two days ago that that no bill should be passed in the din.

Sources said government's patience was running out. It was reflected in the Lok Sabha yesterday when the opposition accused Nath of getting angry and warning such an attitude would not help in running the House.

The talk in Parliament circles is that Congress is apprehensive that any action against the agitating TDP mps will send a wrong signal in the Seemandhra region, already upset over the decision on Telangana.

Opposition leaders claim that government's attempts to persuade TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu to prevail upon his party MPs are also not succeeding.

While the monsoon session started last week, hardly any legislative business has been transacted in the Lok Sabha.

Speaker Meira Kumar's repeated appeals to the agitating MPs have gone unheeded. She had called the TDP MPs of the Lok Sabha from Seemandhra region twice, but to no avail.

For the second day today, the Lok Sabha could not take up discussion on the Food Security Bill and was adjourned for the day at 1500 hrs itself due to the disruptions. It is likely to come up on Monday.

There was talk that Congress President Sonia Gandhi was set to be the first speaker from the ruling side to speak on the Food bill.

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First Published: Aug 14 2013 | 9:22 PM IST

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