Government today kept open the option of extending Parliament session for a week if the bills on coal and mines and mineral are not decided by the Rajya Sabha today with Congress apparently trying to stonewall the measures.
The contentious land bill, which was passed in Lok Sabha with nine amendments earlier will not be taken up for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha as it is almost clear to the government that it's passage is not possible immediately under the existing circumstances.
This means that the government has also kept open the option of proroguing the first half of Parliament Session without adjourning the Houses sine die so that it can repromulgate the land ordinance.
But no final decision has been taken on the issue. To a question whether the House will be prorogued, a senior BJP minister said,"that will be decided after tomorrow."
At two separate meetings of the Business Advisory Committees, there was no decision on the land bill. Government indicated that it will take a call later.
Sources said that in the BAC meeeting of Rajya Sabha, the Congress leaders were insisting that since the reports of the select committees on the two bills have just been tabled, they need more time to discuss it.
At this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu made it clear that the government has the authority to increase the duration of Parliament session as per the exigencies of the business and that it will do so if Parliament fails to decide the bills on coal and mines and minerals.
The issue saw heated discussion in the BAC meeting of the Rajya Sabha with Opposition members saying that the government cannot extend the House without their consent, the sources said.
Chairman Hamid Ansari, however, citing rules said that it is the prerogative of the government. Government side argued said this is being necessiated because the Opposition is going back on its promises.
As arguments continued members from parties like SP, JD(U), Trinamool Congress, DMK, AIADMK BSP and NDA ally TDP insisted that the two bills should be decided by the House today itself, the sources said.
Government sources suggested that Congress was somehow isolated as other Opposition parties did not support its demand for more time to discuss the two bills.
